Plague from eating raw camel liver

Emerg Infect Dis. 2005 Sep;11(9):1456-7. doi: 10.3201/eid1109.050081.

Abstract

We investigated a cluster of 5 plague cases; the patients included 4 with severe pharyngitis and submandibular lymphadenitis. These 4 case-patients had eaten raw camel liver. Yersinia pestis was isolated from bone marrow of the camel and from jirds (Meriones libycus) and fleas (Xenopsylla cheopis) captured at the camel corral.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Animals
  • Camelus / microbiology*
  • Child
  • Fatal Outcome
  • Female
  • Food Microbiology*
  • Humans
  • Liver / microbiology*
  • Male
  • Plague / etiology
  • Plague / physiopathology*
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Yersinia pestis / isolation & purification
  • Yersinia pestis / pathogenicity*