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Plague from eating raw camel liver.

Abdulaziz A Bin Saeed¹, Nasser A Al-Hamdan, Robert E Fontaine

¹King Saud University College of Medicine, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. abinsaeed2001@yahoo.com

Emerging Infectious Diseases

|October 19, 2005

Summary

A cluster of five plague cases was investigated, with four patients experiencing severe symptoms after consuming raw camel liver. Yersinia pestis was identified in the camel, jirds, and fleas, confirming a potential zoonotic transmission route.

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Area of Science:

Zoonotic diseases
Epidemiology
Microbiology

Background:

Plague, a serious infectious disease, is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis.
Understanding transmission routes is crucial for public health interventions.

Observation:

A cluster of five human plague cases was identified.
Four patients presented with severe pharyngitis and submandibular lymphadenitis.
These four patients reported consuming raw camel liver prior to illness.

Findings:

Yersinia pestis was successfully isolated from the bone marrow of the involved camel.
The bacterium was also detected in jirds (Meriones libycus) and fleas (Xenopsylla cheopis) from the camel's environment.
This provides strong evidence for a zoonotic transmission cycle involving camels and associated wildlife/vectors.

Implications:

Raw camel liver consumption is identified as a potential high-risk activity for acquiring plague.
This highlights the importance of food safety practices in regions where plague is endemic.
Further research into camel-borne plague reservoirs and transmission dynamics is warranted.

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