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Plague Bacteria

Plague is a known worldwide killer of men, women, and children. It takes three forms: pneumonic, bubonic, and septicemic. Plague causes a painful, relatively quick death that often involves vomiting, bleeding, and gangrene of the skin. Fortunately, today's antibiotics can kill the Yersinia pestis bacteria and save its victim upon early detection.

Photograph by CNRI/Science Photo Library