Rats may not be rotten rodents after all – for boffins have now cleared them of being bubonic plague super-spreaders.
The creatures were singled out as carriers of the Black Death, which killed 50 million people across Europe in the 14th Century. But now scientists have discovered that human body lice were likely to have been the real culprits for circulating Yersinia pestis – the bacterium that causes plague.
A new study challenges long-standing views of how the Black Death wreaked havoc from 1346 to 1353 – wiping out half the population of Europe.
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It suggests body lice are more efficient at transmitting Yersinia pestis – the bacterium that causes plague – than previously thought.
The findings, published in the journal PLoS Biology, support the possibility parasites were much greater contributors to previous pandemics.
Dr David Bland, of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases based in Maryland, US, said: “These findings suggest that body lice may be more efficient spreaders of Y. pestis than previously thought and they could have played a role in past plague outbreaks.
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“We have found that human body lice are better at transmitting Yersinia pestis than once appreciated and achieve this in more than one way.
“We describe a new bite-based mechanism in which a set of accessory salivary glands unique to lice, termed the Pawlowsky glands, become infected with Y. pestis and secrete lubricant containing plague bacilli onto the insect’s mouthparts prior to blood feeding.”
A reputational reprieve for rats will come as little surprise to farmers, science chiefs and even pest controllers.
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According to vermin control experts Ehrlich: “Rats are rodents that do actually serve a purpose in the ecosystem. They are scavengers and opportunistic eaters. They will eat garbage and other things that people throw away. Plus, rats are important as part of the predatory ecosystem.”
US agriculture firm Berry Patch Farms said: “Rats are an important part of many ecosystems, serving as prey for larger predators and helping to control populations of insects and other pests.
“Some rat species, such as the African giant pouched rat, are even trained to detect landmines and tuberculosis, showcasing the potential for positive human-rat interactions.”
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