Several classes of antibiotics are effective in treating bubonic plague. These include aminoglycosides such as streptomycin and gentamicin, tetracyclines (especially doxycycline), and the fluoroquinolone ciprofloxacin. Mortality associated with treated cases of bubonic plague is about 1–15%, compared to a mortality of 40–60% in untreated cases.

People potentially infected with the plague need immediate treatment and should be given antibiotics within 24 hours of the first symptoms to prevent death. Other treatments include oxygen, intravenous fluids, and respiratory support. People who have had contact with anyone infected by pneumonic plague are given prophylactic antibiotics. Using the broad-based antibiotic streptomycin has proven to be dramatically successful against the bubonic plague within 12 hours of infection.

If diagnosed in time, the various forms of plague are usually highly responsive to antibiotic therapy. The antibiotics often used are streptomycin, chloramphenicol and tetracycline. Amongst the newer generation of antibiotics, gentamicin and doxycycline have proven effective in monotherapeutic treatment of plague.

The plague bacterium could develop drug-resistance and again become a major health threat. One case of a drug-resistant form of the bacterium was found in Madagascar in 1995. Further outbreaks in Madagascar were reported in November 2014 and October 2017.

Pneumonic plague is a very aggressive infection requiring early treatment. Antibiotics must be given within 24 hours of first symptoms to reduce the risk of death. Streptomycin, gentamicin, tetracyclines and chloramphenicol are all effective against pneumonic plague.

Antibiotic treatment for seven days will protect people who have had direct, close contact with infected patients. Wearing a close-fitting surgical mask also protects against infection.

The mortality rate from untreated pneumonic plague approaches 100%.

Starting antibiotics early is a first step in treating septicemic plague in humans. One of the following antibiotics may be used:

- Streptomycin

- Gentamicin

- Tetracycline or doxycycline

- Chloramphenicol

- Ciprofloxacin

Lymph nodes may require draining and the patient will need close monitoring.

In animals, antibiotics such as tetracyline or doxycycline can be used. Intravenous drip may be used to assist in dehydration scenarios. Flea treatment can also be used. In some cases euthanasia may be the best option for treatment and to prevent further spreading.

Early antibiotic treatment of anthrax is essential; delay significantly lessens chances for survival.

Treatment for anthrax infection and other bacterial infections includes large doses of intravenous and oral antibiotics, such as fluoroquinolones (ciprofloxacin), doxycycline, erythromycin, vancomycin, or penicillin. FDA-approved agents include ciprofloxacin, doxycycline, and penicillin.

In possible cases of pulmonary anthrax, early antibiotic prophylaxis treatment is crucial to prevent possible death.

In recent years, many attempts have been made to develop new drugs against anthrax, but existing drugs are effective if treatment is started soon enough.

In May 2009, Human Genome Sciences submitted a biologic license application (BLA, permission to market) for its new drug, raxibacumab (brand name ABthrax) intended for emergency treatment of inhaled anthrax. On 14 December 2012, the US Food and Drug Administration approved raxibacumab injection to treat inhalational anthrax. Raxibacumab is a monoclonal antibody that neutralizes toxins produced by "B. anthracis". On March, 2016, FDA approved a second anthrax treatment using a monoclonal antibody which neutralizes the toxins produced by "B. anthracis". Obiltoxaximab is approved to treat inhalational anthrax in conjunction with appropriate antibacterial drugs, and for prevention when alternative therapies are not available or appropriate.

The following steps and precautions should be used to avoid infection of the septicemic plague:

- Caregivers of infected patients should wear masks, gloves, goggles and gowns

- Take antibiotics if close contact with infected patient has occurred

- Use insecticides throughout house

- Avoid contact with dead rodents or sick cats

- Set traps if mice or rats are present around the house

- Do not allow family pets to roam in areas where plague is common

- Flea control and treatment for animals (especially rodents)

Since human plague is rare in most parts of the world, routine vaccination is not needed other than for those at particularly high risk of exposure, nor for people living in areas with enzootic plague, meaning it occurs at regular, predictable rates in populations and specific areas, such as the western United States. It is not even indicated for most travellers to countries with known recent reported cases, particularly if their travel is limited to urban areas with modern hotels. The CDC thus only recommends vaccination for: (1) all laboratory and field personnel who are working with "Y. pestis" organisms resistant to antimicrobials; (2) people engaged in aerosol experiments with "Y. pestis"; and (3) people engaged in field operations in areas with enzootic plague where preventing exposure is not possible (such as some disaster areas).

A systematic review by the Cochrane Collaboration found no studies of sufficient quality to make any statement on the efficacy of the vaccine.

The American Public Health Association recommends treatment based upon clinical findings and before culturing confirms the diagnosis. Without treatment, death may occur in 10 to 60 percent of patients with epidemic typhus, with patients over age 60 having the highest risk of death. In the antibiotic era, death is uncommon if doxycycline is given. In one study of 60 hospitalized patients with epidemic typhus, no patient died when given doxycycline or chloramphenicol. Some patients also may need oxygen and intravenous (IV) fluids.

The first recorded epidemic affected the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire) and was named the Plague of Justinian after emperor Justinian I, who was infected but survived through extensive treatment.

As of 2017 there is no commercially available vaccine. A vaccine has been in development for scrub typhus known as the scrub typhus vaccine.

Pneumonic plague can be caused in two ways: primary, which results from the inhalation of aerosolised plague bacteria, or secondary, when septicaemic plague spreads into lung tissue from the bloodstream. Pneumonic plague is "not" exclusively vector-borne like bubonic plague; instead it can be spread from person to person. There have been cases of pneumonic plague resulting from the dissection or handling of contaminated animal tissue. This is one type of the plague formerly known as the Black Death.

Treatment is similar to hepatitis B, but due to its high lethality, more aggressive therapeutic approaches are recommended in the acute phase. In absence of a specific vaccine against delta virus, the vaccine against HBV must be given soon after birth in risk groups.

The treatment is antimalarial chemotherapy, intravenous fluid and sometimes supportive care such as intensive care and dialysis.

In order to control for the disease, the "Lymnaea" spp snails, which are the intermediate host for the liver flukes, need to be controlled. There are three ways that have proven most effective when controlling the snail populations:

- The first is by treating pastures and water channels with copper sulfate. This method is not always practical, because it is too expensive to treat in large areas. Lack of cooperation between neighbors is also a problem, snails are easily transported, and treated pastures become re-infested by neighboring fields and streams.

- Drenching the sheep with carbon tetra-chloride in paraffin oil has proven to be an alternative. However, drenching in more than recommended doses can be fatal, by causing liver damage, which could initiate the disease in sheep carrying "B. oedematiens" spores.

- Drainage is an effective option to eliminate the snails. However, draining the places where the grass grows eliminates a source of food for the sheep and creates other unwanted problems.

People who have been bitten by a black widow spider are recommended to seek professional medical assistance for symptoms. Symptoms self-resolve in hours to days in a majority of bites without medical intervention.

Medical treatments have varied over the years. Some treatments (e.g. calcium gluconate) have been discovered to be useless. Currently, treatment usually involves symptomatic therapy with pain medication, muscle relaxants, and antivenom. When the pain becomes unbearable, antivenom is administered. Antivenom historically completely resolves pain in a short time. Antivenom is made by injecting horses with latrodectus venom over a period of time. The horse develops antibodies against the venom. The horse is bled and the antibodies purified for later use. Doctors recommend the use of anti-inflammatory medications before antivenom administration, because antivenom can induce allergic reactions to the horse proteins. The efficacy of antivenom has come under scrutiny as patients receiving placebo have also recovered quickly.

Antivenom is used widely in Australia for redback bites; however, in the United States it is less commonly used. Antivenom made from prior spider bite victims has been used since the 1920s. Opiates such as morphine relieve pain and benzodiazepines ease muscle spasm in most patients.

In almost all cases, recluse bites are self-limited and typically heal without any medical intervention. Recommendations to limit the extent of damage include elevation and immobilization of the affected limb, application of ice. Both local wound care, and tetanus prophylaxis are simple standards. There is no established treatment for more extensive necrosis. Many therapies have been used including hyperbaric oxygen, dapsone, antihistamines (e.g., cyproheptadine), antibiotics, dextran, glucocorticoids, vasodilators, heparin, nitroglycerin, electric shock, curettage, surgical excision, and antivenom. None of these treatments conclusively show benefit. Studies have shown surgical intervention is ineffective and may worsen outcome. Excision may delay wound healing, cause abscesses, and lead to objectionable scarring.

Dapsone, an antibiotic, is commonly used in the United States and Brazil for the treatment of necrosis. There have been conflicting reports with some supporting its efficacy and others have suggested it should no longer be used routinely, if at all.

Most spider bites are harmless, and require no specific treatment. Treatment of bites may depend on the type of spider; thus, capture of the spider—either alive, or in a well-preserved condition, is useful.

Treatment of spider bites includes washing the wound with soap and water and ice to reduce inflammation. Analgesics and antihistamines may be used; however, antibiotics are not recommended unless there is also a bacterial infection present. Black widow post-envenomation treatment seeks to control resulting pain and nausea.

In the case of bites by widow spiders, Australian funnel-web spiders, or Brazilian wandering spiders, medical attention should be sought immediately as in some cases the bites of these spiders develop into a medical emergency. Antivenom is available for severe widow and funnel-web envenomation.

Often no treatment is required. However, as porcine cytomegalovirus is a herpes virus it remains latent and sheds at times of stress. Therefore husbandry measures to minimise stress levels should be in place.

In mass drug administration (MDA) programmes, the treatment for onchocerciasis is ivermectin (trade name: Mectizan); infected people can be treated with two doses of ivermectin, six months apart, repeated every three years. The drug paralyses and kills the microfilariae causing fever, itching, and possibly oedema, arthritis and lymphadenopathy. Intense skin itching is eventually relieved, and the progression towards blindness is halted. In addition, while the drug does not kill the adult worms, it does prevent them for a limited time from producing additional offspring. The drug therefore prevents both morbidity and transmission for up to several months.

Ivermectin treatment is particularly effective because it only needs to be taken once or twice a year, needs no refrigeration, and has a wide margin of safety, with the result that it has been widely given by minimally trained community health workers.

For the treatment of individuals, doxycycline is used to kill the "Wolbachia" bacteria that live in adult worms. This adjunct therapy has been shown to significantly lower microfilarial loads in the host, and may kill the adult worms, due to the symbiotic relationship between "Wolbachia" and the worm. In four separate trials over 10 years with various dosing regimens of doxycycline for individualized treatment, doxycycline was found to be effective in sterilizing the female worms and reducing their numbers over a period of four to six weeks. Research on other antibiotics, such as rifampicin, has shown it to be effective in animal models at reducing "Wolbachia" both as an alternative and as an adjunct to doxycycline. However, doxycycline treatment requires daily dosing for at least four to six weeks, making it more difficult to administer in the affected areas.

There is currently no known treatment for Aleutian virus. When evidence of ADV shows in a ferret, it is strongly recommended that a CEP (counterimmunoelectrophoresis) blood test or an IFA (immunoflourescent antibody) test be done. The CEP test is usually faster and less expensive than the IFA test, but the IFA test is more sensitive and can detect the disease in borderline cases.

Additionally modern methods such as Real-Time PCR allow for rapid and accurate detection as well as determination of the amount of viron present.

Prevention is best accomplished by stopping the spread of ADV. Any new ferret, or those who have been confirmed as serum positive for the virus should be perpetually isolated from other ferrets. All items that may have come into contact with the infected ferret should be cleaned with a 10% bleach solution.

This is a growing concern within mink producers as it is the most crucial infectious disease which affects farmed mink worldwide.

Zymotic disease was a 19th-century medical term for acute infectious diseases, especially "chief fevers and contagious diseases (e.g. typhus and typhoid fevers, smallpox, scarlet fever, measles, erysipelas, cholera, whooping-cough, diphtheria, &c.)".

Zyme or microzyme was the name of the organism presumed to be the cause of the disease.

As originally employed by Dr W. Farr, of the British Registrar-General's department, the term included the diseases which were "epidemic, endemic and contagious," and were regarded as owing their origin to the presence of a morbific principle in the system, acting in a manner analogous to, although not identical with, the process of fermentation.

In the late 19th century, Antoine Béchamp proposed that tiny organisms he termed "microzymas", and not cells, are the fundamental building block of life. Bechamp claimed these microzymas are present in all things—animal, vegetable, and mineral—whether living or dead . Microzymas are what coalesce to form blood clots and bacteria. Depending upon the condition of the host, microzymas assume various forms. In a diseased body, the microzymas become pathological bacteria and viruses. In a healthy body, microzymas form healthy cells. When a plant or animal dies, the microzymas live on. His ideas did not gain acceptance.

The word "zymotic" comes from the Greek word ζυμοῦν "zumoûn" which means "to ferment". It was in British official use from 1839. This term was used extensively in the English Bills of Mortality as a cause of death from 1842. Robert Newstead (1859–1947) used this term in a 1908 publication in the "Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology", to describe the contribution of house flies ("Musca domestica") towards the spread of infectious diseases. However, by the early 1900s, bacteriology "displaced the old fermentation theory", and so the term became obsolete.

In her "Diagram of the causes of mortality in the army in the East", Florence Nightingale depicts The blue wedges measured from the centre of the circle represent area for area the deaths from Preventible or Mitigable Zymotic diseases ; the red wedges measured from the centre the deaths from wounds, & the black wedges measured from the centre the deaths from all other causes.

Aleutian disease, also known as mink plasmacytosis, is a disease which causes spontaneous abortion and death in minks and ferrets. It is caused by "Carnivore amdoparvovirus 1" (also known as "Aleution diease virus", ADV), a highly contagious parvovirus in the genus "Amdoparvovirus".

The virus has been found as a natural infection in the "Mustelidae" family within mink, ferrets, otters, polecats, stone and pine martens and within other varying carnivores such as skunks, genets, foxes and raccoons. This is most commonly explained as because they all share resources and habitats.

If mucormycosis is suspected, amphotericin B therapy should be immediately administered due to the rapid spread and high mortality rate of the disease. Amphotericin B is usually administered for an additional 4–6 weeks after initial therapy begins to ensure eradication of the infection. Isavuconazole was recently FDA approved to treat invasive aspergillosis and invasive mucormycosis.

After administration of either amphotericin B or posaconazole, surgical removal of the "fungus ball" is indicated. The disease must be monitored carefully for any signs of reemergence.

Surgical therapy can be very drastic, and in some cases of disease involving the nasal cavity and the brain, removal of infected brain tissue may be required. In some cases surgery may be disfiguring because it may involve removal of the palate, nasal cavity, or eye structures. Surgery may be extended to more than one operation. It has been hypothesized that hyperbaric oxygen may be beneficial as an adjunctive therapy because higher oxygen pressure increases the ability of neutrophils to kill the organism.