Someone in Wyoming caught plague from their cats

A Wyoming resident appears to have caught a severe case of plague from his own cats, health officials reported this week. Wife contracted pulmonary plague, a rare form of the already very rare disease. Although the risk of plague in the United States and Wyoming is generally very low, authorities have notified other people who may have been exposed and may need antibiotic treatment, as pulmonary plague can spread from one person to another.

Plague is a bacterial disease that comes in many different flavors, depending on how the bacteria (Yersinia pestis) infects the body. Most cases are known as bubonic plague and are usually caused by contact, including bites, with infected animals (usually small mammals) or the fleas they carry. In this form, the bacteria invade the lymph nodes. If the bacteria get into the airways, it leads to pneumonia, which can cause pneumonia and flu-like symptoms, including a contagious cough. This can happen when the plague bacteria spread to the lungs or when a new victim breathes in infected droplets from another person with pneumonic plague. Finally, there is septicaemic plague, which is when bacteria reach the blood. It can also occur as a result of exposure to an animal or fleas, but is often the result of untreated bubonic plague.

The plague, as the name suggests, was one of mankind’s worst threats and is responsible for some of the deadliest epidemics in history, including the Black Death. But better sanitation and the emergence of antibiotics have made plague much less common and dangerous in most places of the world. Even in the United States, however, there are still animal natural hosts for the bacteria, and cases sometimes spread to humans.

In the United States, cases tend to involve exposure to wildlife or their fleas, but roaming pets, including cats, are known to occasionally pick up the infection and then pass it on to their owners. And that seems to be what happened here, according to the Wyoming Department of Health. On Wednesday, they announced that a resident of northern Fremont County had developed a rare case of pulmonary plague, likely through contact with “sick pet cats.”

Courtney Tillman, a Department of Health epidemiologist, told Gizmodo in an email that the victim was a woman who is currently suffering from a serious illness.

Plague, whatever its form, should be treated as soon as possible. But pulmonary plague is of particular concern, both because of the rapid progression of the disease (it can become fatal within a day of the onset of symptoms) and because it is the only form that can be contagious for others. People exposed to the plague are usually given prophylactic antibiotics, and health officials say they are contacting anyone suspected of having come into contact with the woman during the transmission window. So far, however, only one case has been identified.

Again, the plague is very rare in the United States In 2019 and 2018, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there was a single case reported every year. This is only the seventh case reported in Wyoming since 1978, although some of them have been taken out of state. Still, health officials note that there are some common sense ways to stay as safe as possible from this historic disease.

“It is safe to assume that the risk of plague exists throughout our state,” said Alexia Harrist, public health official and epidemiologist in the health department, in a report. declaration Wednesday. “Although the disease is rare in humans, it is important that people take precautions to reduce exposure and seek medical attention promptly if symptoms consistent with plague develop.”

These precautions include keeping your homes and yards clean to avoid rat infestations; wear insect repellant during outdoor activities such as hiking; always wear gloves when touching potentially infected animals (or just not touching them at all); and do not sleep with cats and dogs that are allowed to roam free outside, especially if they appear to be sick.

This article has been updated with additional information provided by the Wyoming Department of Health.