Peste pneumônica no século XXI: fisiopatologia, diagnóstico, tratamento, preparação epidemiológica e lacunas no desenvolvimento de vacinas

Pneumonic plague is a severe form of Yersinia pestis infection characterized by rapid pulmonary deterioration, potential respiratory failure, sepsis and transmission among close contacts during symptomatic disease. This article integrates pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, treatment, chemoprophylaxis, prevention, epidemiological preparedness and vaccine development, using the 2026 Irkutsk, Russia, event as temporal context. The study uses documentary and clinical-epidemiological analysis based on PubMed-indexed literature, WHO and Brazilian Ministry of Health documents, with news sources used only to reconstruct the public timeline. The revised analysis separates mortality, case fatality and transmission risk and adds historical Brazilian comparisons and vulnerable-group evidence. No vaccine is currently licensed for routine population use. Early recognition, isolation, laboratory diagnosis, timely antimicrobial treatment and contact investigation remain the immediate public-health priorities.