title: Plague in the United States: the "black death" is still alive.
abstract: Plague is endemic in the western United States, but patients may present with plague anywhere in the country. Although human infections are rare, a missed diagnosis carries a mortality rate exceeding 50%, whereas prompt diagnosis and appropriate treatment reduce the case fatality rate to less than 5%. We present the case of a 55-year-old man treated for plague and review the diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of plague.
mesh_terms: D002353:Carrier State; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010356:Patient Isolation; D010930:Plague / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013307:Streptomycin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D013752:Tetracycline / Q000008:administration & dosage; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D013752:Tetracycline; D013307:Streptomycin