Dictionary Definition
bubo
Noun
1 a lymph node that is inflamed and swollen
because of plague or gonorrhea or tuberculosis
2 a genus of Strigidae [syn: genus Bubo]
[also: buboes (pl)]
User Contributed Dictionary
see bubo
Translingual
Proper noun
Bubo- A genus within the family Strigidae (true owls) that includes horned owls, eagle owls and fish owls.
Extensive Definition
A bubo (Greek boubôn, "groin") (plural form=
buboes) is a swelling of the lymph nodes,
found in an infection such as bubonic
plague, gonorrhea,
tuberculosis or
syphilis.
According to historical records they were also
characteristic of the pandemic responsible for the
Black
Death and perhaps other ancient pandemics. It usually appears
under the armpit, in the groin or on the neck. Many doctors
believed that bursting them was the answer, although in the view of
modern
medicine this treatment is useless or in fact harmful. There
are reports of people using hen feathers in
order to burst lymph nodes. When lymph nodes are burst, the
puncture site can leave a patient at higher risk for dangerous
infection.
Buboes rarely require any form of local care, but
instead recede with systemic antibiotic therapy. In fact, for
plague patients, incision
and drainage poses a risk to others in contact with the patient
due to aerosolization of
the bubo contents. Needle
aspiration can be done for diagnostic purposes and may also
provide symptomatic relief.
Bubo in Lithuanian: Bubonas