It wasn’t just rats. Body lice may have helped spread bubonic plague. A study suggests that body lice are capable of transmitting Yersinia pestis, the bacterium that causes plague.

When it comes to the spread of the plague, rats and fleas usually shoulder most of the blame. But lice may have been just as responsible for transmitting the disease, according to a new study.

Don't just blame rat fleas. Lice may have helped spread 'black death' plague. June 3, 2024 9:37 AM ET. Ari Daniel ...

The classical route of infection for this disease, which still circulates in 2024, was and remains rat fleas — small biting parasites that transfer the bacteria from wild rodents to people.

Maybe Rats Aren't to Blame for the Black Death. A provocative new study suggests that medieval plagues spread via fleas and lice on people.

When it comes to the spread of the plague, rats and fleas usually shoulder most of the blame. But lice may have been just as responsible for transmitting the disease, according to a new study.

A study published Tuesday in PLOS Biology suggests that body lice may be more efficient at transmitting the plague bacteria, Yersinia pestis, than previously thought and thus might have helped ...

The mystery: How did bubonic plague spread so rapidly? Could rat fleas have done it all? A new study points the finger at lice as possible accomplices.

Could rat fleas have done it all? A new study points the finger at lice as possible accomplices. Skip to content. TV 8 | News 88.7 | Classical | Mixtape. October 08, 2024. 77 °F. PBS Passport; UH; ...

The mystery: How did bubonic plague spread so rapidly? Could rat fleas have done it all? A new study points the finger at lice as possible accomplices.

A fluorescent image of a human body louse with Yersinia pestis infection — that's the cause of the plague — depicted in orange/red in the glands. The plague — which in the mid-14th century was also ...