Plague Hotspots Discovered in the Western United States

Scientists may have found the hotspots for the plague in the western United States. They've identified and mapped areas of high probability of plague bacteria, which may help them better track this sickness.

"This study used surveillance data of plague in wild and domestic animals in the American West to identify and map those areas with the greatest potential for human exposure to this infection, which can be particularly deadly when transmitted to humans," said Michael Walsh, one of the researchers, in a news release. "The findings can be used by public health agencies to target specific areas for enhanced plague surveillance within areas and countries predicted to be at high risk, as well as by other research teams to direct the sampling of local wildlife populations for the identification of Yersinia pestis in wild animals that find themselves in close proximity to humans and human developed landscapes."

The plague was first introduced into the United States in 1900 by rat-infested steamships that sailed from affected areas. Epidemics occurred in port cities, with the last urban plague epidemic in the United States occurring in Los Angeles from 1924 through 1925. Plague then spread from urban rats to rural rodent species and became presented in many areas of the western United States.

In recent decades, an average of seven human plague cases have been reported each year. This makes predicting areas where plague is prevalent important when it comes to monitoring where cases may occur.

The findings are published in the journal PeerJ.

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