Plague....a Disease of the Past?

Think the plague is a thing of the past? Think again. The plague, a life-threatening disease caused by a bacterial infection, is alive and well. The bacterium responsible is called Yersinia pestis. Worldwide there are anywhere from 1000 to 2000 cases, though it is not seen on every continent. Europe has not seen a case since World War II. However, in North America, plague can be found from the Pacific coast to the Great Plains and from British Columbia and Alberta to New Mexico. There are several regions where it is more common. There is one in northern Arizona, northern New Mexico, southern Colorado, southern Oregon, western Nevada and one in California.

The scary thing about the plague is that it is zoonotic. It is passed from animal to animal, and also animal to human. It is transmitted by fleas to many rodent species, and can also be passed on to free-roaming cats. Cats are highly susceptible to the infection. So if you have an outside cat, or work with cats, you are especially at risk. The most common route of the infection is for a cat to ingest a rodent that has infected fleas. Cats may also be infected by a flea bite. There are several ways that the plague can be transmitted from a cat to a human: the cat has fleas and brings them into the home, bites or scratches (direct contact of bodily fluids from an infected animal), or inhalation. If the cat has the pneumonic form of the plague and is coughing and sneezing, it can be passed on to other animals and humans by inhaling the aerosol form of the bacteria. This is the most common mode of transmission to people.