ID#: 23565
Caption:
This historic July 1966 image was captured in Santa Fe, New Mexico, during a plague investigation. The photograph documents flea bites sustained by a middle-aged woman who had contracted plague and subsequently recovered. Epidemiologic findings suggested infection with the plague bacterium, Yersinia pestis, following flea exposure to the lower legs. The resident had reported a die-off of chipmunks, Eutamias quadrivittatus, on her property, and a chipmunk nest was later discovered in the garage ceiling. She had also disposed of a dead rock squirrel, Citellus variegatus, during which she observed amber-colored fleas on her ankles and sustained additional bites. The fleas were suspected to be Oropsylla montana (formerly Diamanus montanus). Despite immediate bathing, symptoms of plague developed several days later.
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Content Provider(s): CDC/ H.E. Stark
Creation Date: 1966
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Copyright Restrictions: None - This image is in the public domain and thus free of any copyright restrictions.