Shepherd A J, Hummitzsch D E, Leman P A, Hartwig E K
Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 1983;77(6):800-8. doi: 10.1016/0035-9203(83)90293-6.
Investigations were carried out in the area of a human plague outbreak in March 1982 at Coega in the eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Trapping revealed that rodent populations were high owing primarily to a population increase of the four-striped mouse, Rhabdomys pumilio. Flea populations were low and had been declining in the eastern Cape Province since October 1981. The results of a serological survey from March to October 1982 showed haemagglutinating antibody to Yersinia pestis in 0.35% of 5938 dog sera and 0.53% of 1132 small mammal sera. Plague antibody was detected in two small mammal species, R. pumilio and the vlei rat, Otomys irroratus. There was thus evidence that a small, limited rodent epizootic preceded the human plague cases and it appears that at least one human case was contracted from an infected domestic cat. The extent of the enzootic area was confined to a coastal belt north of Port Elizabeth and showed a close correlation with river courses. It was concluded that the Port Elizabeth-Uitenhage focus was in an inter-epidemic phase and that the human plague outbreak was an isolated incident.
1982年3月，在南非东开普省科埃加发生人间鼠疫疫情的地区开展了调查。诱捕结果显示，啮齿动物数量众多，主要原因是四线姬鼠（Rhabdomys pumilio）种群数量增加。跳蚤数量较少，自1981年10月以来，东开普省的跳蚤数量一直在下降。1982年3月至10月的血清学调查结果显示，在5938份犬血清中，0.35%呈鼠疫耶尔森菌血凝抗体阳性；在1132份小型哺乳动物血清中，0.53%呈阳性。在两种小型哺乳动物中检测到鼠疫抗体，即四线姬鼠和沼鼠（Otomys irroratus）。因此，有证据表明在人间鼠疫病例之前出现了小规模、有限的啮齿动物 epizootic，而且似乎至少有一例人间病例是从受感染的家猫感染的。动物疫源地范围局限于伊丽莎白港以北的沿海地带，与河道密切相关。得出的结论是，伊丽莎白港 - 乌滕哈赫疫源地处于两次流行之间的阶段且人间鼠疫疫情是一次孤立事件。
