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The Black Death may not have been spread by rats after all
Phys dot org ^ | January 18, 2023 | Samuel Cohn and Philip Slavin, The Conversation

Posted on 01/21/2023 7:16:22 AM PST by SunkenCiv

One of the most commonly recited facts about plague in Europe was that it was spread by rats. In some parts of the world, the bacterium that causes plague, Yersinia pestis, maintains a long-term presence in wild rodents and their fleas. This is called an animal "reservoir".

While plague begins in rodents, it sometimes spills over to humans. Europe may have once hosted animal reservoirs that sparked plague pandemics. But plague could have also been repeatedly reintroduced from Asia. Which of these scenarios was present remains a topic of scientific controversy.

Our recent research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), has shown that environmental conditions in Europe would have prevented plague from surviving in persistent, long-term animal reservoirs. How, then, did plague persevere in Europe for so long?

Our study offers two possibilities. One, the plague was being reintroduced from Asian reservoirs. Second, there could have been short- or medium-term temporary reservoirs in Europe. In addition, the two scenarios might have been mutually supportive.

However, the rapid spread of the Black Death and subsequent outbreaks of the next few centuries also suggest slow-moving rats may not have played the critical role in transmitting the disease that is often portrayed.

(Excerpt) Read more at phys.org ...


TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: blackplague; godsgravesglyphs; helixmakemineadouble; yersiniapestis
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To: Paal Gulli

I agree. One of the links regarding the Antonine Plague was to a similarly modeled paper.


81 posted on 01/21/2023 7:03:22 PM PST by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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To: Inyo-Mono

Clearly the author’s “slow-moving rats” term wasn’t based on direct personal observation.


82 posted on 01/21/2023 7:05:43 PM PST by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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To: fso301

The rats moving down the lines from ships to piers were observed and an account survived, but A) that’s unsurprising as observations go, and B) the writer didn’t note that the rats stopped to scratch themselves. :^)

Human crews probably contributed to the introduction and spread.

https://health.wyo.gov/wyoming-detects-rare-human-case-of-pneumonic-plague/


83 posted on 01/21/2023 7:10:07 PM PST by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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To: mass55th

Any kind of tiny critter could be carrying it, probably, lots of parasitic mites and whatnot have been buggin’ the human race for ages.


84 posted on 01/21/2023 7:11:21 PM PST by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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To: gundog

And voles, don’t forget them.


85 posted on 01/21/2023 7:12:20 PM PST by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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To: SunkenCiv

Did they have Democrats back then?


86 posted on 01/21/2023 7:12:20 PM PST by gitmo (If your theology doesn't become your biography, what good is it?)
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To: SunkenCiv

87 posted on 01/21/2023 7:17:11 PM PST by gundog (It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. )
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To: gundog

Looks like a vole is about to be called up yonder.


88 posted on 01/21/2023 7:17:53 PM PST by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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To: redgolum

We used to get a bounty of a $1 per Crow. I don’t recall anybody ever shooting a crow and nobody got a dollar either!


89 posted on 01/22/2023 7:07:53 AM PST by Clutch Martin ("The trouble ain't that there is too many fools, but that the lightning ain't distributed right." )
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To: SunkenCiv
He’ll be there....


90 posted on 01/22/2023 7:27:39 AM PST by gundog (It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. )
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To: Clutch Martin

“We used to get a bounty of a $1 per Crow”
Now that you mention it, don’t birds carry some kind of mite or bloodsucker?


91 posted on 01/22/2023 10:01:34 AM PST by tsomer
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To: Bob434

Sorry I missed your post before making my own on bird mites.


92 posted on 01/22/2023 10:05:34 AM PST by tsomer
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To: tsomer

no worries, i post before reading replies too and repeat what others say=- it happens


93 posted on 01/22/2023 10:16:11 AM PST by Bob434
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To: Deaf Smith

“All world plagues and pandemics begin in China.”

Maybe there was some genetic variation that predisposed western people to infection by diseases that Mongolians were immune to. The inverse of this seems accepted re American Indians. While many Europians carried DNA from the Steppe migrations , many populations remained remote.

It would be easy enough I guess to compare genetic makeup and geography to recorded incidence. Since Germany and eastern parts of Europe would have had a higher concentration of Mongols, some variation of infections and death might show up assuming control for population density.

I only know enough to wonder about this.


94 posted on 01/22/2023 10:28:28 AM PST by tsomer
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