Is the Russian plague bubonic or pneumonic? Can it be treated?

Following the death of the 28-year-old lab workers Darya Shipilova on October 2 in Siberia on October 2, nearly 200 people are in quarantine fearing the possibility of a plague.  As per unconfirmed reports, she was infected following an accident at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East. 

Plague is caused by the bacterium named Yersinia pestis, says the Cleveland Clinic. The bacteria generally live in ground-dwelling rodents such as rats and prairie dogs, but can also infect humans. The same Y. pestis bacteria can cause three different types of plague.

Bubonic or pneumonic?
The recent death in Russia was caused by suspected pneumonic plague, as per BBC reports. If so, why are people calling it bubonic plague? According to microbiologist Thomas Jeffries of Western Sydney University, bubonic plague is the type of disease that spreads from animals to humans by fleas and causes swelling in the lymph nodes. Its symptoms include fever, headache, chills and weakness. It can kill within a few days if antibiotics are not used. Between 30-60 per cent of people who contract this form of plague will die.

When bubonic plague spreads to a person's lungs, they get pneumonic plague. Pneumonic plague can also spread from person to person via tiny respiratory droplets. Pneumonic plague is the rarest but most severe form of plague. The fatality rate of the disease is up to 100 per cent if left untreated. In addition to the other symptoms, pneumonic plague also includes severe pneumonia - an infection of the lungs, in this case caused by bacteria.

Can it be treated?
The World Health Organisation says that if common antibiotics are administered immediately - within 18 to 24 hours, penumonic plague can be treated.  However, since 1995, several antibiotic-resistant strains of the disease have been detected in the wild. There is no evidence, however, that the strain alleged to have killed Shipilova could not be treated by antibiotics or that the lab is researching biological weapons.

The most recent WHO statement says, 'Based on unofficial information available, the public health risk to the general population appears to be low. The risk assessment will be updated once more information is available.' 
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(With PTI inputs)