Caden Schultheis

The Black Plague

The “Black Death”

•The Plague is

famous for

causing the Black

Death pandemic.

•In The

Fourteenth

century it wiped

out an estimated

third of Europe’s

population.

The Plague is caused by the bacteria Yersinia Pestis

It is believed to have originated in Mongolia

The bacteria was carried along trade routes by merchants, and eventually spread to the Mediterranean and Europe

What Is The PLAGUE?

A microscopic picture of the yersinia pestis bacteria

How is it spread? •The plague is

spread mostly

through rodent

fleas carried by

rats

•Rat infestations in

medieval Europe

are what caused

the Black Death

pandemic

•The most common

cause of plague is

rodent infestations

due to poor

sanitation

•In late stages of

infection, plague is

communicable by

coughing

In early stages, the plague infects the lymphatic system, causing fever, aches, and the characteristic buboes to form on the neck, armpit, and groin.

Later, the infection spreads to the circulatory system, causing severe sepsis of body tissues, diarrhea and vomiting

Infection can also spread the the respiratory system, where it becomes airbourne and causes a bloody cough

symptoms

The lymphatic, circulatory, and respiratory systems

Plague Today•The plague still

exists in rodent

populations

worldwide, and

rarely affects

humans

•The Plague is

easily treated with

common antibiotics

•The most effective

way to prevent

Plague is to

practice basic

sanittation

The Plague is present in Southwestern United States, but nowhere else in the country

There is still some dissention over whether Yersinia Pestis was the cause of the Black Plague

Questions?

“Bring out your dead!”