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Q&A: What is plaque?


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ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Here are some commonly asked questions and answers about plague.

What is plague?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines plague as "an infectious disease of animals and humans caused by a bacterium named Yersina pestis." It is that bacterium that's believed to have been in some of the vials missing from the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. (Full story)

How prevalent is plague, the disease caused by the bacterium?

Dr. Michael Osterholm of the Centers for Infectious Diseases says, "Plague actually is a commonly occurring disease in the southwestern United States, particularly in rodents, prairie dogs and so forth. Almost any researcher technically could go out and capture the same kind of bacteria by doing sampling in the environment."

How feasible is it to make a weapon of the bacterium?

There are at least two ways the bacterium can be weaponized, according to Chris Kozlow, a chemical and biological expert with Innovative Emergency Management in Washington, D.C.

The first is an aerosolization process. The bacteria would be spread through the air in ways similar to anthrax. In the fall of 2002, letters laced with anthrax were sent through the U.S. Postal Service. Several microns of the bacteria would be needed to infect a person.

Another way would be to find a mark, or someone to infect. The mark, if infected, would then pass the plague like a normal cold through coughing and sneezing.

What are symptoms of bubonic plague?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cites swollen lymph glands (known as buboes), fever, chills, and prostration.


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