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Human plague associated with Tibetan sheep originates in marmots.


ABSTRACT: The Qinghai-Tibet plateau is a natural plague focus and is the largest such focus in China. In this area, while Marmota himalayana is the primary host, a total of 18 human plague outbreaks associated with Tibetan sheep (78 cases with 47 deaths) have been reported on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau since 1956. All of the index infectious cases had an exposure history of slaughtering or skinning diseased or dead Tibetan sheep. In this study, we sequenced and compared 38 strains of Yersinia pestis isolated from different hosts, including humans, Tibetan sheep, and M. himalayana. Phylogenetic relationships were reconstructed based on genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphisms identified from our isolates and reference strains. The phylogenetic relationships illustrated in our study, together with the finding that the Tibetan sheep plague clearly lagged behind the M. himalayana plague, and a previous study that identified the Tibetan sheep as a plague reservoir with high susceptibility and moderate sensitivity, indicated that the human plague was transmitted from Tibetan sheep, while the Tibetan sheep plague originated from marmots. Tibetan sheep may encounter this infection by contact with dead rodents or through being bitten by fleas originating from M. himalayana during local epizootics.

SUBMITTER: Dai R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6095483 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Human plague associated with Tibetan sheep originates in marmots.

Dai Ruixia R   Wei Baiqing B   Xiong Haoming H   Yang Xiaoyan X   Peng Yao Y   He Jian J   Jin Juan J   Wang Yumeng Y   Zha Xi X   Zhang Zhikai Z   Liang Ying Y   Zhang Qingwen Q   Xu Jianguo J   Wang Zuyun Z   Li Wei W  

PLoS neglected tropical diseases 20180816 8


The Qinghai-Tibet plateau is a natural plague focus and is the largest such focus in China. In this area, while Marmota himalayana is the primary host, a total of 18 human plague outbreaks associated with Tibetan sheep (78 cases with 47 deaths) have been reported on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau since 1956. All of the index infectious cases had an exposure history of slaughtering or skinning diseased or dead Tibetan sheep. In this study, we sequenced and compared 38 strains of Yersinia pestis isolat  ...[more]

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