Summary
° What is already known about this topic?
§ Pneumonic plague is a rare and often fatal disease that can be transmitted by respiratory droplets from animals or persons infected with Yersinia pestis bacteria.
° What is added by this report?
§ In July 2025, Arizona reported its first pneumonic plague death since 2007, in a man with occupational exposure to ill cats. Two days after the patient’s death, preliminary diagnostic test results supported a suspected pneumonic plague diagnosis, prompting immediate identification of potentially exposed persons for postexposure prophylaxis.
° What are the implications for public health practice?
§ In areas with endemic plague, preliminary diagnostic test results combined with clinical suspicion for pneumonic plague can result in timely public health interventions.
Abstract
Pneumonic plague is transmitted through inhalation of respiratory droplets containing the bacterium Yersinia pestis and has a nearly 100% case-fatality rate when untreated. Although Y. pestis is endemic among rodents in northern Arizona, only eight human plague cases were reported in Arizona during 2000–2024. In July 2025, Arizona reported its first pneumonic plague death since 2007.
Source:
Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7538a2
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