The following is an article about a young man who died of plague in 2015. Based
ID: 102016 • Letter: T
Question
The following is an article about a young man who died of plague in 2015. Based on the information provided, you can correctly determine that this very unfortunate death was due to ______.
DENVER (AP/CBS4) – When a Larimer County teen came down with a high fever and muscle aches, his family thought he had the flu. But he was dead within days and the rare cause was only revealed later.
Taylor Gaes had been infected with the plague, likely by fleas that put the bacteria directly into his blood stream, making it difficult to spot in time to stop its spread.
The 16-year-old died June 8, but the cause was only made public late Friday when health officials, at the urging of the boy’s parents, put out a warning to make sure others who may have visited his family’s rural home near Fort Collins hadn’t been sickened by the fleas that could have infected him.
bubonic plagueExplanation / Answer
The answer is bubonic plague. This type of plague is spread through flea bites. It is caused by bacteria called Yersinia pestis. The fleas feed on animals, like rodents, who carry these bacteria, and in turn become carriers themselves.
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