“Black Death” – USA: Cat infects owner with bubonic plague

In the Middle Ages, the plague caused millions of deaths in Europe, but is now one of the world’s almost forgotten diseases. On the one hand, because the infection can be easily treated, especially if it is detected early, and on the other hand, because today’s living conditions are much more hygienic than in the past.

Cat has infected its owner
However, infections with the bacterium Yersinia pestis occasionally occur. This happened last week in the US state of Oregon in Deschutes County.

The affected patient – ​​it is unclear whether he is male or female – was immediately isolated and treated accordingly. The affected person was infected by his own cat. The animal most likely became infected while wandering outside. In addition to rats, prairie dogs are also hosts to the fleas that the bacterium infects.

Patient is treated, cat dies
There is no reason to panic, the local health authority said. No further cases of infection have been reported. The patient is currently continuing treatment and is improving. Unfortunately, the cat did not survive the disease.

An average of seven cases of plague are reported in the United States each year – most of them in the rural West. In 2012, a man became infected when he tried to rescue a rodent from his cat’s mouth. He survived, but lost several fingers and toes to the disease. Another case was documented in 2015, when a teenager in Colorado became infected while hunting. Two cases were reported in Colorado last year, one of which was fatal, according to authorities.