1. Caden Schultheis
The Black Plague

2. The
“Black DeaTh”
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• The Plague is
famous for
causing the
Black Death
pandemic.
• In The
Fourteenth
century it wiped
out an
estimated third
of Europe’s
population.

3. 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

4. hoW Is It sPread?
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• 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

5. 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

6. the lymphatic, circulatory, and
respiratory systems

7. Plague
Today
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• 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

8. 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!”