A contagious, often fatal, epidemic disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, transmitted by the bite of fleas from an infected person or rodent, especially a rat, and characterized by delirium, chills, fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and the formation of buboes.
A disease caused by the presence of pathogenic organisms, especially bacteria, or their toxins, in the bloodstream, characterised by chills and fever.