Plague
Also known as: Plague, unspecified · Bubonic plague · Pneumonic plague
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In short
Plague is an infection caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, which is found mainly in rats and the fleas that feed on them. People and other animals can get plague from rat or flea bites, but the infection is uncommon today due to better living conditions and antibiotics. The three forms of plague are bubonic plague, which inflames the tonsils, adenoids, spleen, and thymus; septicemic plague, where bacteria multiply in the blood; and pneumonic plague, which causes pneumonia and can be spread to others. Lab tests can diagnose plague, treatment is a strong antibiotic, and there is no vaccine.
Source: MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine.
AI-generated summary of the sources cited on this page, checked automatically against them. Not reviewed by a clinician; not medical advice.
Codes
Description
Plague is an infection caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. The bacteria are found mainly in rats and in the fleas that feed on them. People and other animals can get plague from rat or flea bites. In the past, plague destroyed entire civilizations. Today plague is uncommon, due to better living conditions and antibiotics.
There are three forms of plague:
- Bubonic plague causes the tonsils, adenoids, spleen, and thymus to become inflamed. Symptoms include fever, aches, chills, and tender lymph glands.
- In septicemic plague, bacteria multiply in the blood. It causes fever, chills, shock, and bleeding under the skin or other organs.
- Pneumonic plague is the most serious form. Bacteria enter the lungs and cause pneumonia. People with the infection can spread this form to others. This type could be a bioterror agent.
Lab tests can diagnose plague. Treatment is a strong antibiotic. There is no vaccine.
Next to it in ICD-10
- A00Cholera
- A01Typhoid and paratyphoid fever
- A02Salmonella infection
- A22Anthrax
- A23Brucellosis
- A25Rat-bite fever
Neighbouring codes in the classification, not a medical link.
External resources
Questions
What is the ICD-10 code for Plague?
A20 (WHO, International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision).
What is the ICD-11 code for Plague?
1B93.Z: Plague, unspecified (WHO, ICD-11 for Mortality and Morbidity Statistics).
Sources and attribution
- ICD-11 for Mortality and Morbidity Statistics, © World Health Organization, licensed under CC BY-ND 3.0 IGO.
- Source: MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine.
- Names other than the official source titles: Anpheros translations and plain-language names, made with AI assistance and checked automatically; the source names are in English.
- ICD-10 codes and titles © World Health Organization. Source: WHO, International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (2019).
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