While many of us think of plague as a history lesson from the middle ages, or the cute kids game of “ring around the rosy”, the plague is still with us. Last week the plague hospitalized a man who was trying to remove a dead rodent from his cat’s mouth and got bit (in hindsight, not a very good idea).
The man is hospitalized and on antibiotics. His cat died and all other pets are currently in the hospital.
The plague is caused by a bacterium called Yersina pestis. People generally get infected being bit by fleas which spread the disease from rodents. They can also be infected by being bit by infected animals (rodents or pets). The disease infects all mammals.
While the plague killed millions in Europe during the middle ages, prompt medical attention and antibiotics have reduced fatalities to 16%. Approximately 7 people die from the plague each year in the US, with significantly worse disease in Asia and Africa. There is no data on infection/fatalities of pets or wildlife.
The disease is mostly seen in more rural areas, spread by the fleas found on squirrels, rats, mice, rabbits, prairie dogs, voles, and chipmunks. Cats and other carnivores can get infected by contact with the fleas or eating infected animals. The disease is most common in California, southern Oregon, western Nevada, northern New Mexico, northern Arizona, and southern Colorado.
The disease spreads via flea bites, infected droplets (coughing/sneezing), and contact with contaminated fluids or tissues.
The plague has 3 forms: all cause fever, chills, weakness, and if untreated death. With time one form can convert into another.
- bubonic (classic plague from middle ages with swollen lymph nodes which is most commonly from flea bites)
- septicemic (blood infection causing illness plus necrosis (blackening) of the skin on extremities). Commonly from fleas bites or contact with contaminated tissues
- pneumonic (lung infection), Most often spread by aerosol droplets
Diagnosis is based on history and suspicion of infection. There is a specific test to look for the presence of the disease from a tissue or blood sample. Treatment is antibiotic therapy and supportive care while recovering.
No vaccination exists. Goal is prevention by keeping nesting and food sources for wild animals, flea control for pets, and using gloves if handling dead rodents or calling animal control. Report all animal bites (good idea even if plague not suspected).
For more information
http://www.cdc.gov/plague/