BAYAN-ULGII, MONGOLIA — A couple in Mongolia contracted the deadly plague after consuming some raw rodent meat, The Guardian reports.<br /><br />The bubonic plague is usually spread from animals to humans by fleas, BBC News reports.<br /><br />The couple had apparently eaten raw marmot meat and were thought to have developed the pneumonic plague from that.<br /><br />According to NPR, the plague is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis which lives in infected animals, such as rodents.<br /><br />Mongolian authorities have warned residents against consuming raw marmot meat because it carries this bacterium, The Guardian reports.<br /><br />The plague causes bleeding and infected sores on a person. If left untreated, it can kill a person in a number of days.<br /><br />The disease can turn septicemic or pneumonic once the bacteria has spread to the lungs. The pneumonic plague can spread from person to person via droplets in the air.<br /><br />Symptoms of bubonic plague include fever, headache, swollen lymph nodes, vomiting and joint pain, while symptoms of pneumonic plague include fever, headaches, cough, chest pain and muscle weakness. <br /><br />If diagnosed early, the disease can be treated with antibiotics such as streptomycin and tetracycline, according to the World Health Organization.<br /><br />The Mongolian government declared a quarantine for six days in the region starting on May 1 to prevent the spread of the deadly plague, BBC News reports.
