black plague

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Related to black plague: Black Death, bubonic plague

black death

term applied to the worldwide epidemic of the 14th-century, of which some 60 million people are thought to have died; descriptions indicate that it was bubonic, septocemic, and pneumonic plague.

black plague

The black plague arrived with the Tartars in Sicily in late 1347, and reached Paris by the following winter; within 3–4 years of its debut, it had killed 25 million, 30% to 60% of Europe’s population at the time. Yersinia pestis infection of mammalian hosts is attributed to suppression and avoidance of the host’s immune defences—e.g., phagocytosis and antibody production.

plague

(plag) [L., plaga, blow, injury]

1. Any widespread contagious disease associated with a high death rate.

2. An often fatal disease caused by Yersinia pestis. The natural hosts are ground squirrels, wild rodents, and rats; the vector is the rat flea. In the U.S., hunters, trappers, and campers may encounter infected mammals. Outbreaks are also associated with crowded living conditions and poor sanitation. Although plague was responsible for millions of deaths during the Middle Ages, improvements in sanitation, medical care, and the availability of antibiotics now prevent widespread epidemics. Plague is characterized by high fever, restlessness, confusion, prostration, delirium, shock, and coma. Streptomycin (the antibiotic of choice), gentamicin, tetracyclines, doxycycline, fluoroquinolones, and chloramphenicol are effective in treating plague. In the U.S., about 15 cases of plague are reported annually, primarily in western and southwestern regions. If treated promptly, plague is rarely fatal; however, in the U.S. about 1 in 7 people infected dies, usually because of delayed diagnosis or treatment.

ambulatory plague

A mild form of bubonic plague.

black plague

Plague.

bubonic plague

Plague.

hemorrhagic plague

A severe form of bubonic plague in which there is hemorrhage into the skin.

murine plague

A plague infecting rats.

pneumonic plague

A highly virulent form of plague spread from person to person by respiratory secretions. It occurs as a sequela of bubonic plague or as a primary infection.

septicemic plague

Severe bubonic plague; septicemia may precede the formation of buboes.

sylvatic plague

Bubonic plague that is endemic among wild rodents and their fleas.

white plague

An historical term for tuberculosis.

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According to Wired's Declan McCullagh, in one of these predictions, computer consultant Cory Hamasaki wrote that Y2K will be "bad enough, of course, to qualify as a disaster ranking with the Black Plague, if not the extinction of the dinosaurs." Another example archived by Wired comes from the book Time Bomb 2000 by widely cited authors Ed and Jennifer Yourdon.

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