Yersinia pestis in small rodents, Mongolia.

Julia Riehm

doi:10.3201/eid1707.100740

Abstract

Yersinia pestis in small rodents, Mongolia.

Highlights

Human plague was first reported in 1897 [3], such infections have been documented since the 1940s, and Yersinia pestis can be found in many provinces of Mongolia
The animals tested positive for plague were gerbils (Meriones sp., 1; M. unguiculatus, 2; Rhombomys opimus, 2) and jerboas (Allactaga sibirica, 1; Cardiocranius paradoxus, 1)
Our findings emphasize that rodents play a role as zoonotic reservoirs of Y. pestis in Mongolia and Figure

Summary

Introduction

To the Editor: Plague is known to be endemic in several areas of Mongolia, but transmission to humans seems to play only a minor role because the number of recognized cases is relatively low (Figure) [1]. Human plague was first reported in 1897 [3], such infections have been documented since the 1940s, and Yersinia pestis can be found in many provinces of Mongolia Small rodents are assumed to be reservoirs of Y. pestis, the interaction of individual mammals or fleas of particular species in the infectious cycle and the dynamics of an epizootic are not yet clear [5].

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Conclusion