First Case Report of Human Plague Caused by Excavation, Skinning, and Eating of a Hibernating Marmot ( Marmota himalayana)

Frontiers in Public Health

article

Meng Xiao¹  Huaiqi Jing¹  Xin Wang¹  Jinxiao Xi²  Ran Duan¹  Zhaokai He¹  Lei Meng²  Daqin Xu²  Yuhuang Chen³  Junrong Liang¹  Guoming Fu⁴  Li Wang⁵  Hua Chun⁴  Shuai Qin¹  Dongyue Lv¹  Hui Mu¹  Deming Tang¹  Weiwei Wu¹ 

[1] State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention;Gansu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention;Shenzhen Nanshan Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital;Subei Mongolian Autonomous County Center for Disease Control and Prevention;Jiuquan Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention

关键词: hibernation;    plague control;    Yersinia pestis;    Marmota himalayana;    case report;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpubh.2022.910872

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Introduction The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is considered the most plague-heavy region in China, and skinning and eating marmots ( Marmota himalayana ) are understood to be the main exposure factors to plague. Yersinia pestis is relatively inactive during marmots' hibernation period. However, this case report shows plague infection risk is not reduced but rather increased during the marmot hibernation period if plague exposure is not brought under control. Case Presentation The patient was a 45-year-old man who presented with high fever, swelling of axillary lymph nodes, and existing hand wounds on his right side. Y. pestis was isolated from his blood and lymphatic fluid. Hence, the patient was diagnosed with a confirmed case of bubonic plague. Later, his condition progressed to septicemic plague. Plague exposure through wounds and delays in appropriate treatment might have contributed to plague progression. Conclusion This case report reveals that excavating a hibernating marmot is a significant transmission route of plague. Plague prevention and control measures are priority needs during the marmot hibernation period.

【 授权许可】

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