Summary

Plague has erupted periodically throughout most of human history. The plague bacterium, Yersinia pestis, is transmitted by fleas found on many common mammals and through the air as victims develop respiratory symptoms and suffer from coughing spells. This easy transmission has made plague responsible for some of the highest death rates from any epidemic disease in history. Plague, Second Edition examines the disease from an epidemiological perspective. Studies of the historical European plague outbreaks, known as the Black Death, examine the role animals play in the spread of disease and the human cost of such a widespread outbreak. This revised edition includes new photographs and illustrations as well as updated statistics on modern plague outbreaks in the American Southwest. 

Chapters include:

• Historical Overview
• Causes of the Plague
• Cats, Rats, Prairie Dogs, and Squirrels
• Diagnosis
• Treatment
• Prevention
• The Problems of Antibiotic Resistance
• Concerns for the Future
• Hopes for the Future.

Specifications

Full-color photographs and illustrations. Map. Sidebars. Further reading. References. Glossary. Diagrams. Endnotes. Web sites. Index.

About the Author(s)

Donald Emmeluth, Ed.D., spent most of his teaching career in upstate New York. He now teaches biology at Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, Georgia. Emmeluth has published several journal articles and is the coauthor of a high school biology textbook. His other titles in the Chelsea House series Deadly Diseases and Epidemics include Typhoid Fever and Influenza. Emmeluth served as president of the National Association of Biology Teachers, and received several awards, including the association’s highest honor, the Honorary Membership Award, and the Two-Year College Biology Teaching Award.

Foreword by David Heymann, World Health Organization