Plague found in Hart Flat cat
| Friday, Dec 04 2009 03:39 PM
Last Updated Friday, Dec 04 2009 03:41 PM
The Kern County Department of Public Health has confirmed a test result positive for Y. pestis, the bacteria that causes plague, conducted on a domesticated cat from Hart Flat. A test on another cat in the same household is pending.
The Vector Control Section of the California Department of Health Services and Kern County environmental health officials are investigating these cases. There is no evidence of human infection at this time.
Appropriate preventive steps including antibiotics have been recommended to protect those who may have been exposed to these cats. One of the symptomatic cats is responding well to antibiotics, but unfortunately, one of the cats has died.
"Plague is still very much present in our county, although we may want to believe that it is an obsolete disease of the past," said Matt Constantine, director of Public Health. "The most effective weapons in fighting this disease are public awareness, education and preventative measures to reduce the risk for exposure."
Plague, infection with the bacteria Y. pestis, is endemic throughout the southwest United States, including much of Kern County. Each year numerous mammals, including domestic cats, are identified with evidence of infection with Y. pestis.
Cats are believed to be the domestic species most susceptible to plague. As in humans, three clinical syndromes have been described: bubonic, septicemic, and pneumonic. Bubonic is the most common manifestation and is characterized by high fever (105-106 degrees), lethargy and swollen lymph glands, most commonly of the glands of the neck and under the jaw in cats but in the inguinal area in humans. Infected lymph nodes may spontaneously abscess and drain.
- Kern County Department of Public Health news release
