This digitally-colorized scanning electron micrograph (SEM) depicts a number of purple-colored Yersinia pestis bacteria, the pathogen that causes bubonic plague.
A Michigan resident who recently returned home from Colorado has come down with bubonic plague, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced Monday. This is the first known report of a Michigan resident contracting the plague, according to the department.
The unnamed patient is “recovering after receiving appropriate treatment,” officials say, adding that there is no concern of human-to-human transmission in this case. It’s unusual for the plague to be seen as far east as Michigan. However, officials stress that the patient contracted the plague in Colorado, where cases are more common.
This marks the 14th case of the plague in the US this year — double the typical average number of annual cases, according to the CDC.
