Abstract
In the recent case of the South Lake Tahoe resident, it's believed the person contracted the rare disease after being bitten by an infected flea while camping in the area, according to El Dorado County health officials. There are three types of the plague: bubonic plague, with the trademark swollen lymph nodes, septicemic plague, when the infection spreads throughout the body, pneumonic plague, which infects the lungs. The plague was introduced to the U.S. in the early 20th century from rat-infested steamships arriving in California from Asia, with the first case identified in the San Francisco area, Swartzberg said. Where the plague could be contracted in SoCal In California, public health officials say the plague occurs in the foothills, plateaus, mountains and along the coast.