Via CIDRAP: NEWS SCAN: Finicky flu antibody, flu-malaria co-infection, second Oregon plague case, Pakistan polio appeal. Click through for the full report and related links. Excerpt:
Health officials in Oregon's Crook County said a second plague infection has been linked to an incident in June when a man was infected after he was bitten while attempting to remove a mouse from a cat's mouth, according to a Sep 14 Oregonian story.
Karen Yeargain, LPN, Crook County's communicable disease coordinator, told the paper that CDC lab tests confirmed that a woman also involved in the incident had been infected with plague, as well. She was treated with antibiotics and didn't become seriously ill.
However, the man had a serious infection, was hospitalized in intensive care for a month, and lost his fingers and toes.
The woman had been living with the man's family and was also bitten when they were trying to take the mouse out of the cat's mouth.
Emilio DeBess, DVM, Oregon's state public health veterinarian, said in July that CDC testing confirmed that the man's cat was infected with Yersinia pestis, which causes plague and is typically spread by the bite of an infected flea.
