Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Tribute to the author, Norman Gratz
- Preface
- 1 Introduction
- Part I The vector- and rodent-borne diseases of Europe
- Part II The vector- and rodent-borne diseases of North America
- 20 Vector- and rodent borne diseases in the history of the USA and Canada
- 21 The mosquito-borne arboviruses
- 22 Mosquito-borne diseases – malaria
- 23 Mosquito-borne filarial infections
- 24 Sandfly-borne diseases
- 25 Ceratopogonidae -- biting midge-borne diseases
- 26 Dipteran caused infections -- myiasis
- 27 Flea-borne diseases
- 28 The louse-borne diseases
- 29 Triatomine-borne diseases
- 30 Tick-borne diseases of the USA and Canada
- 31 Mite-borne infections and infestations
- 32 Cockroaches and allergies
- 33 Factors augmenting the incidence, prevalence and distribution of vector-borne diseases in the USA and Canada
- 34 The rodent-borne diseases of the USA and Canada
- 35 The economic impact of vector- and rodent-borne diseases in the USA and Canada
- 36 Conclusions on the burden of the vector and rodent-borne diseases in Europe, the USA and Canada
- References
- Index
27 - Flea-borne diseases
from Part II - The vector- and rodent-borne diseases of North America
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 08 January 2010
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Tribute to the author, Norman Gratz
- Preface
- 1 Introduction
- Part I The vector- and rodent-borne diseases of Europe
- Part II The vector- and rodent-borne diseases of North America
- 20 Vector- and rodent borne diseases in the history of the USA and Canada
- 21 The mosquito-borne arboviruses
- 22 Mosquito-borne diseases – malaria
- 23 Mosquito-borne filarial infections
- 24 Sandfly-borne diseases
- 25 Ceratopogonidae -- biting midge-borne diseases
- 26 Dipteran caused infections -- myiasis
- 27 Flea-borne diseases
- 28 The louse-borne diseases
- 29 Triatomine-borne diseases
- 30 Tick-borne diseases of the USA and Canada
- 31 Mite-borne infections and infestations
- 32 Cockroaches and allergies
- 33 Factors augmenting the incidence, prevalence and distribution of vector-borne diseases in the USA and Canada
- 34 The rodent-borne diseases of the USA and Canada
- 35 The economic impact of vector- and rodent-borne diseases in the USA and Canada
- 36 Conclusions on the burden of the vector and rodent-borne diseases in Europe, the USA and Canada
- References
- Index
Summary
Plague
As has been noted previously, plague caused by Yersinia pestis first appeared in North America in San Francisco, in 1900. Plague is now endemic in North America from the Pacific Coast eastward to the western Great Plains and from British Columbia to Alberta, Canada and southward to Mexico. Most of the human cases occur in two regions; one in northern New Mexico, northern Arizona, and southern Colorado, another in California, southern Oregon and far western Nevada. Transmission of plague from person to person is uncommon and has not been reported in the USA since 1924. The last rat-borne epidemic in the USA occurred in Los Angeles in 1924–1925. Since then, all human plague in the country has been sporadic cases acquired from wild rodents or their fleas or from direct contact with plague-infected animals. Historically the plague bacillus has been demonstrated in western Canada during field studies involving rodents and fleas. More recent studies have resulted in the demonstration of antibodies in feral cats and dogs in southeastern Alberta and southwest Saskatchewan suggestive of ongoing plague activity in Canada. However, there have been no human cases identified in these areas.
In the USA during the 1980s plague cases averaged about 18 per year. During 1988–2002, a total of 112 human cases of plague were reported from 11 western states. The majority (87%) were from four states – New Mexico (48), Colorado (22), Arizona (16) and California (11).
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Vector- and Rodent-Borne Diseases in Europe and North AmericaDistribution, Public Health Burden, and Control, pp. 220 - 227Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2006