The first symptoms that Paul Gaylord noticed felt like a common flu. Two days earlier, he had been bitten by his cat, which had appeared ill. At first, he was prescribed antibiotics to treat cat scratch fever — a bacterial infection that can be transmitted from cats to humans through bites and scratches.
But the medication didn't help. Gaylord's condition worsened, he was admitted to intensive care, and eventually slipped into a coma. Doctors determined that he wasn't suffering from a case of the flu or cat scratch fever, but from the plague. This infectious disease is more commonly associated with the Black Death of the 14th century than with modern-day Oregon, USA, where Gaylord lived.
The infection has not lost any of its deadly potency, but its non-specific symptoms and rare occurrence in modern times make it difficult to identify. Gaylord barely survived, and in 2014, he shared his experience with the British newspaper The Guardian.Zoonoses and the hidden pandemic risk in your backyardTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Three forms of plague: Bubonic, pneumonic, septicemic
The plague is caused by the bacterium yersinia pestis, which can spread extremely rapidly after entering the body in several possible ways. Once there, the bacterium can damage organ tissue and cause bleeding. If left untreated, it is nearly 100% lethal.
