bubonic plague

noun, Pathology

a serious, sometimes fatal, infection with the bacterial toxin Yersinia pestis, transmitted by fleas from infected rodents and characterized by high fever, weakness, and the formation of buboes, especially in the groin and armpits.

Compare Black Death.

Origin of bubonic plague

1885-90

Examples from the web for bubonic plague

Simple pneumonia could be as lethal as the bubonic plague.
Prevailing theory suggests that this mutation was perpetuated by the selective pressure of another disease, the bubonic plague.
Also lurking in the background is another of the human race's great enemies: bubonic plague.
He was arrested nine times, deported once, and suffered bubonic plague and a stress fracture.
Avoid eating marmots, as they can carry the bubonic plague.
Enter the bubonic plague, represented by lolling corpses and scurrying rats.
It can be a complication of pneumonic or bubonic plague or it can occur by itself.
In cases where people have contracted the disease, it is usually referred to as bubonic plague.
bubonic plague can be effectively treated with certain widely-available antibiotics, usually streptomycin or gentamicin.
There is no progression of disease in cases of bubonic plague.

British Dictionary definitions for bubonic plague

bubonic plague

noun

an acute infectious febrile disease characterized by chills, prostration, delirium, and formation of buboes: caused by the bite of a rat flea infected with the bacterium Yersinia pestis See also plague

bubonic plague in Medicine

bubonic plague n.
A contagious, often fatal epidemic disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, transmitted from person to person or by the bite of fleas from an infected host, especially a rat, and characterized by chills, fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and the formation of buboes.

bubonic plague in Science

bubonic plague

(b-bŏn'ĭk)
See under plague.

bubonic plague in Culture

bubonic plague [(byooh-bon-ik, booh-bon-ik playg)]

A highly contagious disease, usually fatal, affecting the lymphatic system. The bubonic plague is caused by bacteria transmitted to humans by rat-borne fleas.

Note: From 1347 to 1351, a disease known as the Black Death, similar to the bubonic plague, entered Europe from Asia and killed a large percentage of the population, sometimes wiping out entire towns. It caused widespread social changes in Europe.