How soon can bubonic plague symptoms develop after infection?

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two plague victims with sores lying in bed, while a robed figure gestures above them. — plague Image depicting victims of the sixth biblical plague.

After infection with Yersinia bacteria, symptoms of bubonic plague typically begin to develop within two to six days.1

The onset of the disease is generally marked by shivering, followed by symptoms such as vomiting, headache, giddiness, intolerance to light, pain in the limbs and back, and various states of mental distress, including delirium. The most characteristic sign of this form of plague is the subsequent appearance of buboes—tender, swollen lymph nodes—which are most commonly found in the armpits or groin.1