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A lupus breakthrough, bubonic plague case and pig kidney transplant update: What to know about this week's health stories

Kaitlin Reilly
A rat looking into a pool of water.
The United States sees around seven cases of the bubonic plague each year. It's caused by a bacteria that lives in rodents like rats, pictured here, and prairie dogs and is typically passed along to humans by infected fleas. (Getty Creative) (CreativeNature_nl via Getty Images)

Hello, health and wellness readers. My name is Kaitlin, your guide to the latest health news you may have missed.

Let’s explore what our team wrote about this week:

  • Natalie Rahhal spoke to experts about five simple things you can do to lower your chances of developing cancer — and, yes, that includes putting down the cigarettes and picking up the sunscreen.

  • Scary, but important: Rachel Grumman Bender wrote about why leaving kids in cars (especially on a hot day) is so deadly.

  • A road trip is a great summertime activity — until the motion sickness kicks in. Sarah Hunter Simanson shares tips on how to fight it … and how to avoid it in the first place.

  • Um, do tampons contain toxic materials?! Natalie spoke to experts about the latest research and whether or not we should freak out about it.

  • The new COVID wave is here. Should you mask up? Korin Miller explains who may want to slip that N95 back on.

Plus, three other health stories to know:

Researchers believe they may have found the root cause of lupus, a chronic condition that leads the immune system to attack the body and comes with symptoms like fatigue, joint pain and skin rashes.

It all has to do with T cells — white blood cells that help attack infected or abnormal cells, helping to protect the body from illness. A study published in Nature this week found that lupus patients have too many T cells that damage the body, and too few T cells that help repair it. The researchers believe the reason for this T cell imbalance may come down to patients with lupus having too much of a protein called interferon.

What it means:

Right now, the common management of lupus involves suppressing the immune system. This can lead to a host of other health concerns, such as putting patients at a greater risk for viruses and other diseases.

While some researchers believe it’s too early to definitively say that this is the reason some people develop lupus, it is a step in the right direction, as the more that’s learned about lupus, the higher the chances of finding successful treatment options for it. The scientists found that giving study participants anifrolumab, a drug that blocks interferon, prevented the T cell imbalance that could be at the root of lupus — however, they warn that this treatment may not work for every patient with the condition.

New Jersey resident Lisa Pisano, 54, passed away after receiving a pig kidney transplant. Her death came after doctors were forced to remove the transplanted pig kidney 47 days after her surgery, due to damage caused by her heart medications. Though she remained on dialysis following the removal, Pisano eventually was moved into hospice care, where she later died.

What it means:

Pisano was the second recipient of the pig organ-to-human experiment, which is called xenotransplantation. Her death follows that of Richard Slayman, who died in early May, nearly two months after his xenotransplantation surgery. Slayman had a preexisting heart condition, and his death is not considered a result of the transplant, which was supposed to last two years.

Right now, many researchers in the medical field believe that xenotransplantation is the future of transplants, with companies seeking ways to adapt pig organs to make them more acceptable to the human immune system. With more people on the transplant list than there are available organs, successful pig-to-human transplants could save many lives.

Last week, Colorado health officials confirmed a human case of the bubonic plague (the disease once known as “the Black Death,” which killed approximately 50 million people in Europe and Asia) in Pueblo County, about 100 miles south of Denver. The Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment said that because plague is endemic, they could not locate the specific source of the infection. The infected person is receiving treatment, the department said, and confirmed that their condition has since improved.

What it means:

Plague is caused by the Yersinia pestis bacteria, which commonly lives in rodents like rats and prairie dogs. It’s passed along by infected fleas.

The bubonic plague killed millions in Europe and Asia during the 14th century, and while it’s not the pandemic it was then, it has also not entirely gone away. On average, the United States sees seven cases of the plague a year, mainly in the Southwest region.

In most cases, the disease is easily treatable with antibiotics, provided you seek medical attention promptly. There is also a vaccine to prevent plague, but it’s only recommended for people who work in laboratories and may come in direct contact with the bacteria that causes the disease.

There are simple steps you can take to keep yourself from potentially contracting the plague. Avoid rodents whenever possible, which means cleaning up areas around your property where they may gather. Never touch sick or dead animals.

Your pets, however, may be who you really need to look out for. Keep them safe from any exposure to rodents, and make sure they are treated for fleas regularly: In February, an Oregon case was suspected to be transferred from a sick cat to its owner.

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