Global Climate change, more fleas and ticks.

[Guest guest]

Friday November 19, 12:58 pm Eastern Time

Company Press Release

SOURCE: National Science Foundation

Human Plague Cases Increasing in Southwest; Likely Cause: Global Climate

Change

ARLINGTON, Va., Nov. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Human plague, that dreaded disease

of centuries past caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, is on the rise,

at least in the southwestern United States.

Biologists at the National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded Long-Term

Ecological Research (LTER) site in Sevilleta, New Mexico, have found that

human plague cases in New Mexico occurred more frequently after wetter than

average winter-spring time periods (October to May). In fact, during years

much wetter than normal, a 60% rise in the number of cases of human plague

resulted. The scientists report these results in a paper published in the

November issue of the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

Plague occurs episodically in many parts of the world, explains

Parmenter, director of the Sevilleta LTER field research station, and lead

author of the paper. ``Some outbreaks appear to be related to increased

abundance of rodents and other mammals that serve as hosts for the fleas

that then transmit the disease to humans.'' Increased winter-spring

precipitation, say Parmenter and his colleague Ken Gage of the Center for

Disease Control office in Fort , Colorado, enhances small mammal food

resources (plants and insects), leading to an increase in the abundance of

plague hosts. In addition, moister climate conditions may act to promote

flea survival and reproduction, also enhancing plague transmission. ``Our

results can be used by physicians and public health personnel to identify

and predict periods of increased risk of plague transmission to humans,''

Parmenter hopes.

Global climate dynamics are proposed by some scientists as the culprit in

recent outbreaks of infectious diseases; others warn that long-term global

warming could increase the risk of contracting such diseases. ``The recent

El Nino events of the 1990s have been associated with large increases in

rodent populations in both North and South America,'' explains

, LTER program director at NSF. ``These increases in rodent

populations have been shown to correlate with numerous diseases, including

Lyme disease and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. Climate studies may provide

a forecasting tool for identifying periods of increased risk of disease

transmission.''

Plague was introduced into North America via San Francisco, California, in

1899-1900 by shipboard transport of plague-infected rats from Asia. These

rats quickly infected native mammal populations, especially ground

squirrels, and plague spread throughout western North America. Plague is now

most commonly found in the southwestern United States -- in New Mexico,

Colorado, Arizona and California. Major risk factors for humans include

contact with diseased wild mammals or their infected fleas, and exposure to

infected fleas carried by pets like dogs and cats.

``If climate conditions become favorable for reproduction and survival of

either the wild mammal populations or their flea populations, then the

probability of human infection via animal-flea-human contacts will also

increase,'' write Parmenter and his colleagues.

With known risk of plague transmission following unusually moist winter-

spring seasons, localized public health warnings and heightened medical

surveillance can be arranged prior to the peak in human cases during the

summer, the scientists suggest. ``Local physicians and health care

professionals can determine if their cities and towns have received higher-

than-normal precipitation, and increase their cognizance for plague

patients,'' the researchers write.

SOURCE: National Science Foundation

[Guest guest]

This is staring to sound like Armageddon.

Vicki

>From: " J & M McCoy " <mlmccoy@...>

>

>Friday November 19, 12:58 pm Eastern Time

>Company Press Release

>SOURCE: National Science Foundation

>Human Plague Cases Increasing in Southwest; Likely Cause: Global Climate

>Change