Re: Plague found in pet cat in California
And a ProMed post.
http://www.promedmail.org/pls/otn/f..._BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1000,80365
Archive Number 20091205.4150
Published Date 05-DEC-2009
Subject PRO/AH/EDR> ProMED-mail Plague, feline - USA (CA)
PLAGUE, FELINE - USA (CALIFORNIA)
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A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.isid.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>
Date: 4 Dec 2009
Source: Turn to 23.com [edited]
<http://www.turnto23.com/news/21868157/detail.html>
Plague Found In Cat From Hart Flat
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The Kern County Department of Public Health has confirmed a test
result positive for _Yersenia pestis_, the bacterium that causes
plague, conducted on a domestic cat from Hart Flat, California. A test
on another cat in the same household is pending. The Vector Control
Section of the California Department of Health Services and the Kern
County Environmental Health, which is now part of Public Health, are
collaborating to investigate these cases.
There is no evidence of human infection at this time, Kim Rodriguez
with the KCDPH said. Appropriate preventive steps including
antibiotics have been recommended to protect those who may have been
exposed to these cats. One of the symptomatic cats is responding well
to antibiotics, but one of the cats has died, Rodriguez said.
"(The) plague is still very much present in our county, although we
may want to believe that it is an obsolete disease of the past," says
Matt Constantine, Director of Public Health. "The most effective
weapons in fighting this disease are public awareness, education, and
preventative measures to reduce the risk for exposure."
Plague, infection with the bacterium _Y. pestis_, is endemic
throughout the southwest United States, including much of Kern County.
Each year numerous mammals, including domestic cats, are identified
with evidence of infection with _Y. pestis_, Rodriguez said. Cats are
believed to be the domestic species most susceptible to plague.
As in humans, 3 clinical syndromes have been described: bubonic,
septicemic, and pneumonic. Bubonic is the most common manifestation
and is characterized by high fever (105-106 degrees F), lethargy, and
swollen lymph glands, most commonly of the glands of the neck and
under the jaw in cats but in the inguinal area in humans. Infected
lymph nodes may spontaneously abscess and drain, Rodriguez said.
Cats can pose a risk of plague transmission to humans. Because of the
potential for transmission to humans, cats suspected of having plague
should be hospitalized and placed in isolation. Persons having
significant contact with a plague-infected cat, particularly cats with
respiratory signs or draining abscesses, should consult with their
health care provider regarding the need for a prophylactic course of
antibiotics. Local and state public health officials should be
notified immediately of cases of plague diagnosed in domestic cats,
Rodriguez said.
Plague is known to be related to fluctuations in rodent population at
elevations greater than 2500 feet. Residents and visitors in these
regions are advised to take the following precautions:
-- Do not feed or handle wild animals, particularly ground squirrels
and chipmunks
-- Eliminate trash near living areas, which attract and can harbor rodents.
-- Report any animals acting strangely (i.e., sluggishly) to Kern
County Environmental Health.
-- Do not touch sick or dead animals. Report their location to Kern
County Environmental Health.
-- If odors or flies are noticed around rodent burrows, report this to
Kern County Environmental Health.
-- Do not camp or sit near rodent burrows, where infected animals may
live. When possible, sleep off the ground, such as on cots.
-- Domestic animals visiting plague-suspected areas should be observed
for 7 days. If they become ill, they should be examined by a
veterinarian.
-- Use insect repellent in plague-endemic areas.
-- Wear protective clothing including long-sleeved shirts and long
pants with cuffs tucked into the socks.
-- Use flea-repellent products on your pets regularly; ie: collars,
bath, ointments, and powders, especially after returning from a
wilderness area.
-- If pets appear sick after returning from a wilderness area, handle
them carefully and take them to a veterinarian immediately.
-- See a physician if within 7 days of a visit to an endemic area you
become ill with fever, chills, muscle aches, nausea, sore throat,
headaches, physical exhaustion and/or painful swollen lymph nodes as
the initial symptoms may be nonspecific.
It is prudent for all residents and visitors in known endemic areas of
the county adhere to measures that would minimize their exposure to
potentially infected animals. For more information, contact Public
Health, Environmental Health Services at 661-862-8700.
Information provided by the Department of Public Health
--
Merritt Clifton
Editor, Animal People
P.O. Box 960
Clinton, WA 98236
<anmlpepl@whidbey.com>
The causative bacterium, _Yersinia pestis_, is transmitted to people
through fleabite and direct contact with infected animals. Each rodent
species is host to one or more species of flea, which, when infected,
is a carrier. These fleas generally do not infest other animals unless
their natural hosts are unavailable.
Domestic cats and dogs can also contract plague from infected fleas.
They may carry infected fleas home to their owners or, especially in
the case of cats, serve as a direct source of infection.
Cats are sensitive indicators of plague. Prairie dogs [which are
actually ground squirrels] are more sensitive than cats, but
nevertheless, cats are quite sensitive. However, this is somewhat late
in the year to see plague cases. They are more often seen in the
spring and summer to early autumn.
Often, plague lesions in cats, particularly domestic cats, may
initially be confused with a cat fight (or cat bite) abscess, as there
are often swellings in the mandibular region. Plague swellings are
buboes, abscesses from infection. Consequently, veterinarians,
technicians, animal shelter workers and animal caretakers may become
victims when buboes rupture.
Plague, caused by _Yersinia pestis_, is an acute and sometimes fatal
bacterial zoonosis that is transmitted primarily by the fleas of rats
and other rodents. Enzootic foci of sylvatic plague exist in the
western USA and throughout the world, including Eurasia, Africa, and
North and South America. In addition to rodents, other mammalian
species that have been naturally infected with _Y. pestis_ include
lagomorphs, felids, canids, mustelids, and some ungulates. Domestic
cats and dogs have also developed plague from oral mucous membrane
exposure to infected rodent tissues, typically when they are allowed
to roam and hunt in enzootic areas. Birds and other non-mammalian
vertebrates appear to be resistant to plague. On average, 10 human
plague cases are reported each year in the USA; the majority are from
New Mexico, California, Colorado, and Arizona. Most human cases result
from the bite of an infected flea, although direct contact with
infected wild rabbits, rodents, and occasion!
ally other wildlife and exposure to infected domestic cats are also
risk factors.
_Y. pestis_ is a gram-negative, nonmotile, coccobacillus belonging to
the _Enterobacteriacae_ family. It exhibits a bipolar staining,
"safety pin" appearance when stained with Wright, Giemsa, or Wayson
stains. _Y. pestis_ grows slowly even at optimal temperatures (28 deg
C [82.4 deg F]) and can require greater than 48 hours to produce
colonies. Several types of media can be used to grow _Y. pestis_,
including blood agar, nutrient broth, and un-enriched agar. Colonies
are small (1-2 mm), gray, nonmucoid, and have a characteristic
"hammered copper" appearance. Different virulence factors are
expressed by the organism at different temperatures and environments,
allowing the organism to survive in flea vectors and then be
transmitted to and multiply in mammalian hosts. The organism does not
survive for long at high temperatures or in dry environments.
_Y. pestis_ is easily destroyed by sunlight and drying. Even so, when
released into the air, the bacteria will survive for up to one hour,
although this could vary depending on conditions.
Pneumonic plague is one of several forms of plague. Depending on
circumstances, these forms may occur separately or in combination.
Pneumonic plague occurs when _Y. pestis_ infects the lungs. This type
of plague can spread from person to person through the air.
Transmission can take place if someone breathes in aerosolized
bacteria, which could happen in a bioterrorist attack. Pneumonic
plague is also spread by breathing in _Y. pestis_ suspended in
respiratory droplets from a person (or animal) with pneumonic plague.
Becoming infected in this way usually requires direct and close
contact with the ill person or animal. Pneumonic plague may also occur
if a person with bubonic or septicemic plague is untreated and the
bacteria spread to the lungs.
Bubonic plague is the most common form of plague. This occurs when an
infected flea bites a person or when materials contaminated with _Y.
pestis_ enter through a break in a person's skin. Patients develop
swollen, tender lymph glands (called buboes) and fever, headache,
chills, and weakness. Bubonic plague does not spread from person to
person.
Septicemic plague occurs when plague bacteria multiply in the blood.
It can be a complication of pneumonic or bubonic plague or it can
occur by itself. When it occurs alone, it is caused in the same ways
as bubonic plague; however, buboes do not develop. Patients have
fever, chills, prostration, abdominal pain, shock, and bleeding into
skin and other organs. Septicemic plague does not spread from person
to person.
With pneumonic plague, the 1st signs of illness are fever, headache,
weakness, and rapidly developing pneumonia with shortness of breath,
chest pain, cough, and sometimes bloody or watery sputum. The
pneumonia progresses for 2 to 4 days and may cause respiratory failure
and shock. Without early treatment, patients may die.
Early treatment of pneumonic plague is essential. To reduce the chance
of death, antibiotics must be given within 24 hours of 1st symptoms.
Streptomycin, gentamicin, the tetracyclines, and chloramphenicol are
all effective against pneumonic plague.
Antibiotic treatment for 7 days will protect people who have had
direct, close contact with infected patients. Wearing a close-fitting
surgical mask also protects against infection. A plague vaccine is not
currently available for use in the United States.
Portions of this comment were extracted from:
<http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/51900.htm&word=plague>
and
<http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/plague/factsheet.asp>. - Mod.TG]
[The interactive HealthMap/ProMED map of California is available at:
<http://healthmap.org/r/00aj> - CopyEd.EJP]
[see also:
Plague, fatal - USA (05): (IL) lab strain susp. RFI 20090921.3320
Plague, fatal - USA (04): (IL) lab strain susp. RFI 20090920.3298
Plague, fatal - USA (03): (NM) recovery 20090715.2530
Plague, tularemia, prairie dogs - USA (SD) 20090712.2494
Plague, fatal - USA (02): (NM) risk, prevention 20090611.2153
Plague, fatal - USA: (NM) bubonic 20090605.2080
Plague, rabbit - USA (NM) 20090415.1435
2007
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Plague, squirrel, flea, cat - USA (CO,CA) 20070518.1577
2002
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Plague, squirrel, cat - USA (California): alert 20020829.5184
1999
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Plague, squirrels, cats - USA (California) 19991022.1901]
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