1996

Plague (Pestis) ICD-9 020; ICD-10 A20

1996 Plague Surveillance In Texas

During calendar year 1996, *sera from 1,671 animals from 67 counties were tested for plague (Yersinia pestis) antibodies by the Texas Department of Health Laboratory, Microbiology Division, Serology Branch. Five (0.3%) of the specimens tested were seropositive (titer 1:32) for plague.

In addition to serosurveillance, 7 tissue samples from two counties were submitted to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Plague Laboratory, Fort Collins, Colorado, for examination. None of these samples were positive for plague.  

* Sera is extracted from Nobuto strips primarily collected and submitted by U.S.D.A. and Texas Animal Damage Control personnel; other submitters include municipal animal control agencies and private trappers. Because T.D.H. depends upon the interest of individual collectors, some counties are sampled heavily and some not at all.