What Was the Black Plague?
9. Diagnosis
Your doctor will need to ask what your symptoms are, and they will also want to perform a brief physical examination. The presence of buboes is likely to be a strong indicator that bubonic plague is the problem, but the diagnosis will still need to be confirmed with tests.
Your doctor will need to take a sample of fluid from your buboes. This fluid can then be examined for signs of bubonic plague, particularly the presence of the Yersinia pestis bacterium. Other tests include taking a sample of sputum to look for signs of the bacterium in the lungs. A blood sample will also need to be taken to look for signs of the bacterium in the blood.
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