Plague

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Antibodies

Flea

Flea bite - close-up

Bubonic plague; Pneumonic plague; Septicemic plague

Patients with the plague need immediate treatment withing 24 hours of initial symptom development, or death may be unavoidable. Treatment consists of antibiotics such as streptomycin, chloramphenicol, or tetracycline. Note: Oral tetracycline is usually not prescribed for children until after all the permanent teeth have erupted. It can permanently discolor teeth that are still forming.

Oxygen, intravenous fluids, and respiratory support are usually also prescribed.

Patients with pneumonic plague are strictly isolated from other patients. People who have had contact with anyone infected by pneumonic plague are observed closely and are given antibiotics as a preventive measure.

Half of bubonic plague victims die if not treated, and almost all victims of pneumonic plague die if not treated. Treatment reduces the death rate to 5%.

Call your health care provider if symptoms develop after exposure to fleas or rodents, especially if you live in or have visited an area where plague occurs.

Review Date: 06/17/2005
Reviewed By: Rocio Hurtado, M.D., Division of Infectious Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.