title: Prompt laboratory diagnosis in timely containment of a plague outbreak in India.
abstract: A focal outbreak of pneumonic plague occurred in a hamlet of village Hatkoti, district Shimla, Himachal Pradesh in the first fortnight of February, 2002. A total of 16 cases with 4 deaths were reported. Diagnosis of plague was confirmed by the laboratory in 10 (63%) cases. Y. pestis was isolated from clinical samples of 3 cases and confirmed by bacteriophage lysis. Molecular tests confirmed the presence of Y. pestis specific pla and F1 genes in 4 cases; DNA fingerprinting had identity with the known sequence of plague bacilli. Paired samples from 5 cases showed more than 4 fold rise and 1 case showed more than 4 fold fall in antibodies against F1 antigen of Y. pestis. The present communication emphasises that timely and systematic laboratory investigations give confirmatory diagnosis in shortest possible time which forms the backbone of the outbreak control in a timely fashion and prevents confusion and controversy.
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Communicable Diseases, Delhi-110054.
authors.forename: Veena
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mittal
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bhattacharya
authors.forename: U V S
authors.initials: UV
authors.lastname: Rana
authors.forename: Arvind
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rai
authors.forename: S T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Pasha
authors.forename: Avdhesh
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Harit
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Ichhpujani
authors.forename: Usha K
authors.initials: UK
authors.lastname: Baveja
authors.forename: Shiv
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lal
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Agarwal
mesh_terms: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D001431:Bacteriological Techniques; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D010930:Plague / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012698:Serologic Tests; D015010:Yersinia pestis / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial