A Feline in Oregon Transmitted Bubonic Plague to Its Owner's Self
A unusual instance of the bubonic plague has been detected in Oregon. American health authorities reported this bacterial peril within the state earlier this month, marking the first occurrence in nearly a decade. The affected individual has been hospitalized and seems to be responding favorably to treatment, authorities mentioned.
Plague is brought about by the rod-shaped germ Yersinia pestis. This bacterium can cause illness in various ways, contingent on how it enters the body. When transmitted via contact with animals, mainly a flea that recently fed on an infected animal, the bacteria tend to focus on the lymph nodes and trigger bubonic plague. Plague bacteria can also be inhaled into the lungs, causing pneumonic plague. Occasionally, it can infect the bloodstream, leading to septicemic plague.
Though the plague once represented one of humankind's deadliest infectious diseases, causing pandemics like the Black Death, it's relatively scarce today and more manageable with antibiotics when it does emerge. However, plague bacteria continue to circulate within wildlife, particularly rodents, implying that human infections can and do sometimes occur.
Last week, health officials from Deschutes County Health Services in Oregon announced this most recent case, which involved a resident in their 50s who was hospitalized as a result. The individual most likely contracted it from their pet cat, which had recently become severely ill and developed a swollen abscess (a pocket of pus, typically an indication of infection) that required draining. Cats are particularly susceptible to plague and frequently catch it from wild rodents or their fleas; they can then transmit the disease to humans through close contact with their bodily fluids or via the fleas they carry.
The patient initially displayed symptoms of bubonic plague, but the infection eventually spread to their bloodstream. While hospitalized, the victim also experienced respiratory issues, fueling concerns that they had developed pneumonic plague as well, although this has yet to be confirmed. All forms of plague can be life-threatening if left untreated, particularly septicemic plague, but pneumonic plague is also transmissible from person to person and can lead to widespread outbreaks if not contained promptly.
Fortunately, the patient is responding positively to treatment, as Richard Fawcett, a health officer for Deschutes County, informed NBC News. For the time being, there seems to be no danger of further transmission. As a precaution, however, close contacts of the patient and cat have been contacted and given antibiotics to ward off illness.
This is the first case reported in Oregon since 2015, according to the state. Generally, an average of seven plague cases are reported in the U.S. annually, with the majority arising from the Western and Southwestern regions of the country. Nevertheless, plague is one of numerous diseases that could become more prevalent as the climate warms, some experts have proposed.
In the future, advancements in technology and science could potentially develop more effective methods to prevent and treat plague outbreaks, reducing its impact on human health. Despite the patient's positive response to current treatment, the circulation of plague bacteria in wildlife remains a concern for future human infections.
