Biological Weapon - Plague

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What It Is

Yersinia pestis, a rod-shaped, non-motile, non-sporulating, gram-negative, bipolar staining, facultative anaerobic bacterium. It causes plague, normally a zoonotic disease of rodents (e.g., rats, mice, ground squirrels). Fleas which live on the rodents can sometimes pass the bacteria to human beings, who then suffer from the bubonic form of plague. The pneumonic form of the disease would be seen as the primary form after purposeful aerosol dissemination of the organisms. The bubonic form would be seen after purposeful dissemination through the release of infected fleas. All human populations are susceptible. Recovery from the disease may be followed by temporary immunity. The organism will probably remain viable in water and moist meals and grains for several weeks. At near freezing temperatures, it will remain alive from months to years but is killed by 15 minutes exposure to 72 ° C. It also remains viable for some time in dry sputum, flea feces, and buried bodies but is killed within several hours of exposure to sunlight.

What It Does

Pneumonic plague incubates 2-3 days. High fever, chills, headache, hemoptysis, and toxemia, progressing rapidly to dyspnea, stridor, and cyanosis. Death from respiratory failure, circulatory collapse, and a bleeding diathesis. Bubonic plague incubates 2-10 days. Malaise, high fever, and tender lymph nodes (buboes); may progress spontaneously to the septicemic form, with spread to the CNS, lungs, etc.

Be Prepared

A licensed, killed vaccine is available. Primary series of an initial dose followed by a second smaller dose 1-3 months later, and a third dose 5-6 months after the second dose. Give 3 booster doses at 6 month intervals following dose 3 of the primary series then every 1-2 years. This vaccine is effective against bubonic plague, but probably not against aerosol exposure.

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