New Mexico: Plague takes the life of Bernalillo County man
New Mexico health authorities are reporting the fourth case of human plague and the first fatality of 2013 in an 80-year-old Bernalillo County man.
Image/David Benbennick
Confirmation testing for the plague bacterium, Yersinia pestis, was confirmed by the state’s Scientific Laboratory Division.
An investigation into the man’s home and surrounding areas will take place to look whether there is an ongoing risk.
The previous three human plague cases in the state all survived their infection. New Mexico is the only state in 2013 to report human plague.
Plague is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium, Yersinia pestis. It is found in animals throughout the world, most commonly rats but other rodents like ground squirrels, prairie dogs, chipmunks, rabbits and voles. Fleas typically serve as the vector of plague. Human cases have been linked to the domestic cats and dogs that brought infected fleas into the house.
People can also get infected through direct contact with an infected animal, through inhalation and in the case of pneumonic plague, person to person.
Yersinia pestis is treatable with antibiotics if started early enough.
There are three forms of human plague; bubonic, septicemic and pneumonic.
Bubonic plague: This is the most common form. In this form, the bacteria enter the body through the bite of an infected flea or rodent. Here the bacteria infect the lymphatic system. After a few days to week, the person will experience fever, chills, weakness, and swollen lymph glands. These are called buboes.
In the U.S., bubonic plague is sporadic, primarily in the West. Typically, there are around 10 cases annually in this country.
Untreated bubonic plague is fatal about half the time.
Yersinia pestis bacteria grown on sheep blood agar Image/Pete Seidel
Septicemic plague: This form is also contracted from a flea or rodent bite. Sometimes it appears subsequent to untreated bubonic or pneumonic plague. It involves bloodstream dissemination to all areas of the body. Buboes do not occur. Symptoms are endotoxic shock and disseminated intravascular coagulation. Untreated septicemic plague is nearly always fatal.
Pneumonic plague: Probably the most serious form of plague and it’s when the bacteria infect the lungs and cause pneumonia. It is contracted when the bacteria is inhaled (primary) or develops when bubonic or septicemic plague spreads to the lungs.
Related article: The US ranks 11th in human plague cases worldwide during the last decade
Pneumonic plague is contagious and can be transmitted person to person. It is highly communicable under appropriate climate conditions, overcrowding and cool temperatures. Untreated pneumonic plague is frequently fatal.
In New Mexico, there was one human plague case in 2012, two human cases of plague in 2011, no cases in 2010, and six human cases of plague in 2009, one of them fatal.
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[…] to the New Mexico Department of Health, they reported that an 80 year old man passed away recently from a disease best known for its […]