Symptoms of<unk> are usually non-specific and in order to definitively diagnose<unk>  laboratory testing is required. Y pestis can be identified through both a microscope and by culturing a sample and this is used as a reference standard to confirm that a person has a case of<unk>  The sample can be obtained from the blood, mucus (sputum), or aspirate extracted from inflamed lymph nodes (buboes). If a person is administered antibiotics before a sample is taken or if there is a delay in transporting the person's sample to a laboratory and/or a poorly stored sample, there is a possibility for false negative results. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) may also be used to diagnose<unk>  by detecting the presence of bacterial genes such as the pla gene (plasmogen activator) and caf1 gene, (F1 capsule antigen). PCR testing requires a very small sample and is effective for both alive and dead bacteria. For this reason, if a person receives antibiotics before a sample is collected for laboratory testing, they may have a false negative culture and a positive PCR result. Blood tests to detect antibodies against Y. pestis can also be used to diagnose<unk>  however this requires taking blood samples at different periods of time in order to detect differences between the acute and convalescent phases of F1 antibody titres. In 2020, a study about rapid diagnostic tests that detect the F1 capsule antigen (F1RDT) by sampling sputum or bubo aspirate was released. Results show rapid diagnostic F1RDT test can be used for people who have suspected pneumonic and bubonic<unk> but cannot be used in people who are asymptomatic. F1RDT may be useful in providing a fast result for prompt treatment and fast public health response as studies suggest that F1RDT is highly sensitive for both pneumonic and bubonic<unk>  However, when using the rapid test, both positive and negative results need to be confirmed to establish or reject the diagnosis of confirmed case of<unk> and the test result needs to be interpreted within the epidemiological context as study findings indicate that although 40 out of 40 people who had the<unk> in a population of 1000 was correctly diagnosed, 317 people were diagnosed falsely as positive.
Plague 
Polymeal
Black rot 
Anthrax
Scabies
Larva currens
Scrub typhus
Listeriosis