Plague Danger in California and New Mexico

The New Mexico Department of Health is reporting a case of plague in a 43-year-old woman from Rio Arriba County who is currently hospitalized. Confirmatory testing was conducted at the Department's Scientific Laboratory Division.

The 1st plague case in New Mexico in 2014 was reported in April 2014 in a 57-year-old man from Torrance County who is still recovering. An environmental investigation will take place at the woman's home to look for ongoing risk to others in the surrounding area.

San Diego County officials issued an alert last week after 2 squirrels trapped in routine monitoring at an empty outdoor school on Palomar Mountain have tested positive for plague. The squirrels were trapped on property at Camp Palomar Outdoor School, which was undergoing summer maintenance and not scheduled to be used by campers until 25 Aug 2014.

This prompted officials to remind people to take simple steps to protect themselves when camping and hiking. "When you're enjoying the outdoors, just remember, don't feed or play with squirrels; don't play near squirrel burrows or set up your tents around them; and report dead squirrels to camp rangers," said San Diego County Environmental Health Director Liz Pozzebon.

[Plague is prevalent in rodents in the western USA. Humans can be infected through 1) the bite of an infected flea carried by a rodent or, rarely, other animals; 2) direct contact with contaminated tissues; or 3) in rare cases, inhalation of respiratory secretions from infected people or animals.

Plague is a potential bioterrorism agent. Human infections are rare but can be life-threatening. The case fatality rate of plague depends on the whether it attacks the lymph nodes (bubonic), bloodstream ( septicemic)  or lungs (pneumonic). It is also dependent on the timing of initiation of antibiotic therapy.If untreated, the case fatality rate is over 50 per cent for bubonic plague and approaches 100 per cent for pneumonic plague (1). Rapid laboratory identification can help guide therapy.

Domestic cats and dogs can also contract plague from infected fleas. They may carry infected fleas home to their owners or, especially with cats, serve as a direct source of infection. There are many flea treatments and repellents appropriate for pets available. Some products may be suitable for dogs but not cats or may be suitable for an adult but not a younger animal. Be sure to consult your veterinarian, as some products may be toxic to cats, kittens, and puppies, even resulting in fatalities.

Clinical signs in pets involve a localized swelling, such as under the jaw in cats, but also in the inguinal region or under the front leg (the armpit, if you will), lethargy, anorexia, and fever. Please take your pet to a veterinarian if you notice any abnormalities.

Veterinarians should protect themselves by wearing gloves when examining these swellings. A bubo that ruptures may infect the veterinarian or even the pet owner if the pet owner is the one palpating the swelling.

Another form of the disease is the respiratory form. Cats may acquire this form and can spread it to their owners or the veterinarians through infected expiratory droplets. People are also prone to the respiratory infection.

You should also be aware that the fleas that hitchhike into your home on a pet can also transmit disease to you, the owner or caretaker of the pet. Sleeping in the same bed with dogs has been associated with plague in enzootic areas (2). Plague patients with no history of exposure to rodents can be infected by _Y. pestis_ if their pets carry infected rodent fleas into the home. Veterinarians always should recommend flea control to dog and cat owners.

Source ProMED-mail

Risks of Feeding Raw Foods to Your Pets

Dogs and cats aren't exempt from the dangers of foodborne illness. To minimize risk, FDA suggests consumers carefully consider the risks of feeding a raw pet food to their pets.

Food poisoning isn't only a human problem: our four-legged friends are also at risk if they eat foods that are contaminated with disease-causing bacteria. Two of these bacteria—Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes — are particularly dangerous to both pets and humans. Here is one way to avoid them—and why.

Knowing the Risk to Your Pet

Raw pet food consists primarily of meat, bones, and organs that haven’t been cooked, and therefore are more likely than cooked food to contain organisms that can make your dog or cat sick, says William J. Burkholder, DVM, PhD, Veterinary Medical Officer in the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) Division of Animal Feeds. Moreover, raw food can make you sick as well if you don’t handle it properly. FDA does not believe feeding raw pet foods to animals is consistent with the goal of protecting the public from significant health risks.

The agency therefore recommends cooking of raw meat and poultry to kill harmful bacteria like Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes before you give the food to your pets. And as always, when working with food, you should follow FDA’s instructions on how to handle it safely.

Salmonella bacteria are commonly found in such foods as raw or undercooked meat, poultry, eggs and egg products. Salmonella can also contaminate raw or unpasteurized milk and other dairy products, as well as raw fruits and vegetables.

Burkholder says people who choose a raw diet for their pets often point out that feral dogs and cats catch prey and eat it raw. “That’s true,” he adds, “but we don’t know how many of these animals get sick or die as a result of doing that. Since sick feral animals are rarely taken to a veterinarian when they’re ill, there’s no way to collect that information.”

Symptoms of salmonellosis in animals include:

• Vomiting
• Diarrhea (which may be bloody)
• Fever
• Loss of appetite
• Decreased activity level

Listeria bacteria are commonly found in uncooked meats, vegetables and unpasteurized milk and soft cheeses. Unlike most bacteria, Listeria like cold temperatures and can grow and spread in the refrigerator. So if you refrigerate Listeria-contaminated food, the germs not only multiply at the cool temperature, they could contaminate your refrigerator and spread to other foods there, increasing the likelihood that you and your family members would be exposed to Listeria and get sick.

Symptoms of listeriosis in animals include:

• Nausea
• Diarrhea
• Fever
• Neurological disease can happen in a small percentage of situations

Raw Foods Can Also Affect Human Health

Consumers also run the risk of getting sick if they handle contaminated pet foods and accidentally transfer the bacteria to their mouths.

“If you’re going to handle raw foods, you need to pay particular attention to good hygienic practices,” Burkholder says. “Wash your hands and anything else that comes into contact with the product with hot, soapy water for at least 20 seconds.”

Feeding raw food to a pet also increases the risk of contaminating food contact surfaces and other places.

“Even if the dog or cat doesn't get sick, they can become carriers of Salmonella and transfer the bacteria to their surroundings, and then people can get the disease from contact with the infected environment,” Burkholder says.

Once Salmonella gets established in the pet’s gastrointestinal tract, the animal can shed the bacteria when it has a bowel movement, and the contamination will continue to spread.

Symptoms of Salmonella and Listeria Infection in Humans

Salmonella infection (salmonellosis) symptoms in humans include:

• Fever
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea (which may be bloody)
• Stomach pain
• More rarely: entry of Salmonella into bloodstream from intestines, followed by spread to joints, arteries, heart, soft tissues, and other areas of body

Symptoms associated with salmonellosis most often begin 12 hours to 3 days after ingestion of the bacteria and can last 4 to 7 days without treatment. All consumers are at risk for contracting salmonella from contaminated foods, but pregnant women, children under five, the elderly and those with weak immune systems are at risk of developing severe symptoms.

Compared to salmonellosis and other foodborne illnesses, infection with Listeria monocytogenes (listeriosis) is rare, but has serious and potentially fatal risks.

Listeria can infect multiple locations in the body:

• The brain
• Membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord
• Gastrointestinal tract
• Bloodstream

Symptoms associated with listeriosis begin 11 to 70 days after coming in contact with the bacteria, with a mean (or average) of 31 days, and they can last up to a few weeks. Listeriosis occurs almost exclusively in pregnant women and their fetuses, newborns, the elderly and those with weak immune systems. Listeriosis can cause life-threatening infection in a fetus and newborns, as well as in persons with weakened immune systems, although the infection can often be treated with antibiotics.

“Feeding raw foods to pets increases the risk that both the pet and the people around the pet will encounter bacteria that cause foodborne illness, particularly if the products are not carefully handled and fed,” Burkholder says. “This is certainly one factor that should be considered when selecting diets for your pet

6/15/!4 Health News: Semen Test for Prostate Cancer ♦ CHIA SEEDS:CAUSE 65 SALMONELLA INFECTIONS, ♦ Test Predicts if Breast Cancer Will Spread ♦ Babies May Get Allergy Protection Roaches

CHIA SEEDS: 65 SALMONELLA INFECTIONS, EXPANDING RECALL

Chia seeds are an increasingly popular ingredient in the health food world. The Dr. Oz Show and various health magazines have been highlighting them, and recipes with this “superfood” have been popping up all over Pinterest and BuzzFeed. But before you go adding chia powder to your morning smoothie, check to be sure it isn’t... Continue Reading

New Test Predicts if Breast Cancer Will Spread

A test that counts the number of locations in tumor specimens where tumor cells may invade blood vessels predicted the risk of metastasis for the most common type of breast cancer.. "Tests assessing metastatic risk can help doctors identify which patients should receive aggressive therapy and which patients should be spared," said Thomas Rohan, M.D., Ph.D., the lead and corresponding author of the study. Continue Reading

Babies May Get Allergy Protection From Cats, Even Roaches

Cockroaches might not seem to have much in common with farm animals. But a new study suggests urban newborns who share their homes with cockroaches, mice and cats might get the same kind of protection from allergies and asthma that farm children seem to get from the animals in their barns. Continue Reading

Semen Test for Prostate Cancer May Improve Diagnosis,

Semen contains prostate cancer biomarkers that could over time improve diagnosis of the condition, a group of Australian researchers said. After analyzing seminal fluid samples from 60 men, the researchers discovered tiny molecules called microRNAs known to be elevated in prostate cancer Continue Reading

Pregnant Women With Pets Have More Vaginal Infections

A Danish study found that Pregnant women who live with a dog or a cat are twice as likely as other women to have intestinal bacteria in their vagina.They were surprised to see such a strong correlation. In the study, E. coli bacteria were found in the vagina of one in six of the participating women. This study was of 709 woman.

You're more vulnerable when you're pregnant, so this is not the best time to have E. coli bacteria in your vagina.” says Jakob Stokholm, MD, PhD, a researcher at COPSAC, the Copenhagen Studies on Asthma in Childhood. He is the lead author of a new study, published in the journal Plos One.

Intestinal bacteria from dogs and cats seem to colonise pregnant woman's vagina. This increases the risk of urinary tract infections. This may be caused by bacteria travelling from the animal to the woman’s hands to her vagina. Pregnant woman should pay more attention to hand washing after they handle their pet especially since dogs  lick their behinds and their fur.

The study indicates that intestinal bacteria can spread to areas such as the urethra and may cause urinary tract infections (UTI), also known as acute cystitis or bladder infection. If the bladder inflammation spreads to the kidneys, it can become serious, and it may also increase the risk of giving birth prematurely. Treating the  mother with antibiotics can increase the chance of the child developing asthma later in life. Another good reason to use Phage therapy rather than antibiotics.

Other studies have also shown that the mother’s bacteria during pregnancy and birth may cause severe infections in the new-born baby The baby’s immune system is immature in the mother’s womb and in early life. This is another reason that pregnant women should pay extra attention to their hand washing, washing vigorously for at least 21 seconds.