Plague doctor eso4/27/2024 Unlike medieval physicians, however, modern doctors are well equipped to deal with the illness, thanks to antibiotics. “Cats are very susceptible to Yersinia infection” because they tend to hunt rodents specifically, says Susan Jones, a biomedical historian at the University of Minnesota who is working on a book tracing the history of plague in the former Soviet Union.Įven today the disease can be deadly for both humans and pets who contract it if left untreated. This can happen in humans, but it can also happen to animals closely associated with us. If a flea bites an infected rodent and then leaps onto another animal, its bite may transmit some of the Y. it can be found in rats, prairie dogs, marmots, squirrels and, occasionally, chipmunks.įrom these “reservoir” species, plague can spread to other animals via fleas. The particular rodent species that carry plague can vary from region to region, but in the U.S. “It doesn’t make them particularly sick, and so that means it can just kind of quietly circulate in that population,” says Erin Phipps, state public health veterinarian of New Mexico. pestis can make humans extremely ill, but it doesn’t naturally thrive in human populations. on ships docking in California sometime around the year 1900. ![]() Humans and the animals that travel with them have spread it to every continent except Antarctica. Most people know it as the microbe behind the “ Black Death,” which wiped out at least a third of Europe’s population in the 14th century. ![]() Plague is caused by a bacterium called Yersinia pestis. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. ![]() Credit: Shuyao Xiao Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( data) On supporting science journalism
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