A Dog Infected People with the Plague for the First Time in the U.S.

It is being reported that, for the first time in United States history, a dog has infected four people in Colorado with the pneumonic plague:

The dog, a 2-year-old American pit bull terrier, became sick last summer with a fever and jaw rigidity, among other symptoms. The dog’s health declined so quickly that it was euthanized the following day at a local vet’s office, health officials said.

Four days later, the dog’s owner entered the hospital with a fever and a bloody cough that became worse over the next few hours, but an initial blood culture was misidentified, according to the CDC report.

As the patient’s symptoms grew worse, the test was redone and he was found to have been infected with pnumonic plague, according to the CDC report. The remains of the dog were also tested and were found to be positive for the plague bacteria.

According to health officials, cats are much more likely to spread the plague than dogs. This is the first time this has ever happened here on record.