The phones at Kaibab Veterinary Clinic have been ringing off the hook due to increased concern about plague.
If you've ever watched "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," chances are you have a clear mental image of what a plague-stricken village looks like. It's dirty and its inhabitants are similarly filthy. There's also one resident with a very particular occupation. He wheels a cart through town, calling, "Bring out your dead!" The other villagers are all too willing to comply, and some even want to add their still-living relatives to the cart.
While this scene is quite funny, plague is serious business.
Plague is an infectious disease caused by a bacterium called Yersinia pestis. It spreads throughout animal populations, including humans, through the bites of infected FLEAS. These fleas generally feed on rats, which is why large numbers of dead rats are a sign of an impending epidemic. The most well known form of plague, bubonic plague, is named for the painfully swollen lymph nodes, or buboes, that the disease causes.
The main hosts for Yersinia pestis are rodents and the disease is primarily transmitted through the bite of infected fleas. Y. pestis multiplies in the stomach of the flea, and the flea may remain infected for up to one year.1 In the United States, prairie dogs, ground squirrels, chipmunks, mice, wood rats, and rock squirrels are often infected and readily facilitate flea contact between animals.1,4 Rabbits may become infected during enzootic outbreaks. In the United States the prairie dog flea and the ground squirrel flea are the primary vectors.4 Although these fleas are not easy to distinguish from other fleas, dog and cat fleas are rare in plague-endemic areas. Therefore, finding any flea on a domestic animal in these areas is suspicious.
Most dogs are resistant to infection, but both domestic and wild cats are susceptible. Cats can also be a source of infection for people.
The disease is transmitted to domestic animals by ingestion of infected rodents or rabbits, or from the bite of infected fleas.
Symptoms of plague in cats are faver, swollen lymph nodes, abscesses, and severe respiratory disease.
MORAL OF THE STORY:
Keep cats indoors and to prevent all hunting and exposure to rabbit and rodent carcasses.
Strict flea control in both cats and dogs is very important.
Plague can be successfully treated given prompt diagnosis and appropriate medication (generally certain antibiotics). A physician’s immediate attention is essential if plague is suspected!
