pneumonic plague

pneumonic plague
    n 1: a rapidly progressive and frequently fatal form of the
         plague that can spread through the air from person to
         person; characterized by lung involvement with chill,
         bloody expectoration and high fever [syn: {pneumonic
         plague}, {pulmonic plague}, {plague pneumonia}]
    

Bubonic plague \Bubonic plague\ (Med.)
   a severe and often fatal disease caused by infection with the
   bacterium {Yersinia pestis} (formerly {Pasteurella pestis}),
   transmitted to man by the bite of fleas, themselves usually
   infected by biting infected rodents. It is characterized by
   the formation of buboes, most notably on the groin and
   armpits, and accompanied by weakness and high fever. The
   disease was known as the {black death}, and was responsible
   for several devastating plagues throughout the middle ages.
   When lungs became infected, the disease was called the
   {pneumonic plague}. It is still found occasionally in poor
   areas of undeveloped countries but is rare in developed
   countries.
   [PJC]