It wasn' t the rats that spread the black plague

An experiment suggests that it was humans themselves who spread the disease throughout Europe.

The black plague was the dreaded medieval epidemic that ravaged Europe and parts of Asia between the years, especially between 1346 to 1353. The pandemic caused an atrocious death toll, with some studies claiming nearly 200 million victims. It was initially believed that it was birds who transmitted the disease by air and, for that reason, medieval doctors used wooden masks with bird beaks to protect themselves. But then the rats were blamed for it, a belief that has survived for centuries. Although, lately, several studies have suggested that this may not be the case.

Plague is caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis, which usually live in the body of these rodents. But when there is a decrease in the rat population, the mycoorganism looks for other hosts to infect, including humans. And now, a new study carried out by specialists from the universities of Oslo and Ferrara, points to the thesis of exculpating these animals from the expansion of the plague.

Researchers created a computer model that analyzed the progression in the number of infections from three infectious agents: rats, birds and humans. And the result showed that the third option was the one that allowed the disease to spread more rapidly.

The study's authors claim that it is a new sign in favor of the thesis that it was really humans (and the parasites that nested in their bodies) who involuntarily spread the epidemic so rapidly throughout Europe.