Show bubonic plague in utah rodents bacillus bestis the disease germ which causes bubonic plague in human beings and plague in rodents has been isolated from material taken from two ground squirrels one half mile east of morgan according to information released today by dr J L jones state health commissioner the material was taken in a routine survey which Is now nov in progress the operated by the state board of health dr C R eskey medical officer in charge of plague suppressive measures at the united states public health service laboratory at san francisco isolated the disease germs from the material sent to him by the division of public health laboratories utah state board of health dr jones said this finding should give no cause for alam but should serve a warning to utah residents not to handle wild rodents the disease usually is trans mitt d to human bengs beings through the bite of a flea from an infected rodent bubonic plague can not be transmitted from one human being to another although pneumonic plague can this further evidence of plague is a continuation of the survey which began last summer with the aid of the united states public bealh service following the discovery of bubonic plague in rodents and fleas in beaver sevier and gar i field counties the existence of bubonic plague in utah was first discovered iril in june 1929 when a small boy while playing in beaver canyon was bitten by a captured ground squirrel and subsequently developed bobone plague the survey began this year in washington county early in april no evidence of plague was found in that vicinity other counties surveyed during the summer san juan grand emery carbon duchesne uintah wasatch sumit cache rich and box elder indications of plague were first discovered in morgan county early in august A recheck re check of this area within the last week confirmed positive results utah county has been surveyed but results are not yet available other counties counti es which are yet to be surveyed by the mobile laboratory of the utah state board of health are juab sevier plute garfield kane kanc iron beaver and millard mr E H Bram bramhall hafl director of the division of public health laboratories of the state board of health who is in general charge of the survey in this state is maintaining very close contact with the united states public health service as are his assistants who op crate the mobile laboratory mr noall walter of salt lake city a student of bacteriology at the university of utah and mr E I 1 stewart wart jr of logan who is a master of science and bacteriology from the utah state agricultural college |