Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0010200 (cough)
 23,843 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The signs of pneumonic plague in sacred baboons infected by aerosol are: fever, hurried breathing, depression and constantly increasing bacteremia. Some infected animals isolate the plague microbes while coughing and thus could be a source of the infection. By the clinical and pathomorphological signs, pneumonic plague in sacred baboons is similar to that in humans which makes it possible to use the animals in the development of schemes for special prophylaxis and treatment of the disease. In efficacy estimation of antibacterial drugs sacred baboons should be infected by aerosol by highly virulent strains of Y. pestis in doses of 1.10(4)-1.10(5) live microbes. The treatment of the animals should be started from the moment of the rectal temperature increase to 39.5 degrees C or higher after collecting the blood specimens for the bacteriological tests. It was shown that a two-day course of the treatment with antibacterial drugs was not efficient in the animals with pneumonic plague. The use of streptomycin, gentamicin, netilmicin or ciprofloxacin for 7 days cured all the infected animals. The use of streptomycin in the therapeutic doses was not efficient in the animals whose blood specimens of 1 cm3 contained 4.10(4) or more plague microbes by the moment when the treatment was started.
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PMID:[Standardization of conditions for the evaluation of effectiveness of antibacterial drugs in pneumonic plague in sacred baboons]. 859 90

Plague has received much attention because it may be used as a weapon by terrorists. Intentionally released aerosols of Yersinia pestis would cause pneumonic plague. In order to prepare for such an event, it is important, particularly for medical personnel and first responders, to form a realistic idea of the risk of person-to-person spread of infection. Historical accounts and contemporary experience show that pneumonic plague is not as contagious as it is commonly believed to be. Persons with plague usually only transmit the infection when the disease is in the endstage, when infected persons cough copious amounts of bloody sputum, and only by means of close contact. Before antibiotics were available for postexposure prophylaxis for contacts, simple protective measures, such as wearing masks and avoiding close contact, were sufficient to interrupt transmission during pneumonic plague outbreaks. In this article, I review the historical literature and anecdotal evidence regarding the risk of transmission, and I discuss possible protective measures.
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PMID:Risk of person-to-person transmission of pneumonic plague. 1579 18

Four people admitted to a tertiary care hospital during February 2002 had similar respiratory symptoms; they belonged to one family residing in a village in Himachal Pradesh, India. The clustering of these cases in space and time led to the suspicion that it could be a pneumonic plague outbreak. A standard case definition, and treatment and prophylaxis guidelines were prepared. Active surveillance identified 30 cases. The incubation period ranged from 3 to 7 days. Among the affected people, 53.3% were males, and 90% were >15 years of age. Fever with cough was the most common presenting feature (43.3%). The diagnosis of pneumonic plague was confirmed from blood cultures using conventional biochemical tests, phage susceptibility of the identified organisms, and F1 antigen ELISA and PCR for the pla gene. Five patients died giving a case-fatality ratio of 16.6%. The other cases recovered following treatment. Early identification of cases and prompt institution of control measures, particularly among close family members, relatives and health care contacts is essential for containing outbreaks. To prevent future outbreaks, known endemic foci should be identified and essential information should be gathered on the epizoology of plague.
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PMID:Epidemiological features of pneumonic plague outbreak in Himachal Pradesh, India. 1921 Nov 17