Oh, rats! New Bubonic Plague {Black Death} Case in Oregon

[No Elephants]

By Teresa Carson
updated 7/18/2012 7:48:25 PM ET


PORTLAND, Oregon — An Oregon man who contracted a rare case of bubonic plague, a disease that ravaged Europe during the Middle Ages, is expected to lose his fingers and some toes, but should be well enough to leave the hospital within weeks, his family said on Wednesday.

Paul Gaylord, 59, spent almost a month in intensive care, most of it on life support after he was infected while trying to take a rodent from the mouth of his cat on June 2. The choking cat bit his hand and scratched him.

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Today, it is treated with antibiotics and only an average of seven cases a year are reported in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The cases are virtually all in the western states.

Oregon has had three cases since 1995 and none of the victims have died, according to the Crook County Health Department.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/48233198/ns/health-infectious_diseases/?__utma=14933801.997437330.1342688702.1342688702.1342688702.1&__utmb=14933801.2.10.1342688702&__utmc=14933801&__utmx=-&__utmz=14933801.1342688702.1.1.utmcsr=google|utmccn=%28organic%29|utmcmd=organic|utmctr=nbc%20news%20website&__utmv=14933801.|8=Earned%20By=msnbc|cover=1^12=Landing%20Content=Mixed=1^13=Landing%20Hostname=www.nbcnews.com=1^30=Visit%20Type%20to%20Content=Earned%20to%20Mixed=1&__utmk=141131314#.UAfPnfUn3vx

[Cronus Protagonist]

1. Can we finally dispatch the myth that cats are clean now?

Jeeze. He lost his fingers. Think about that for a minute.

[No Elephants]

2. The rat in the mouth of the cat was the real issue.

Cats lick themselves a lot.

That gives them a reputation for trying to keep themselves clean, but we don't really know why they do it as they have never explained it to us.

When dogs lick their privates, we make an entirely different assumption.

Usually, animals repeat behaviors because they enjoy them.

[Cronus Protagonist]

3. The cat's mouth was the instrument of infection

And if it wasn't a rat, it would have been a bug, or some other kind of vermin. Cat's love playing with vermin.

[No Elephants]

4. The mouth did do the spreading. True enough.