Detecting mice not perpetrators spread plague

The new study found that non-rat "black death" is transmitted to people, but it is actually transmitted from people to people.

For a long time, mice have a bad reputation. They are filthy, specializing in rummaging through garbage and full of pathogens. In particular, they were considered to be the culprits that raged across Europe in the 14-18 century, causing " horror. Recently, new research in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by Olso University (Norway ) and Ferrara University (Italy) have vindicated this animal and affirmed the outbreak of plague caused by the parasites themselves on the human body.

"Black death" once killed a third of Europe's population.(Picture: Luigi Sabatelli).

According to IFL, to make the above conclusion, the authors have reconstructed three models of plague in Europe, each with a different vector of transmission including mice, air and human parasites. . The results show that the third model is more suitable for real-world developments. The researchers also said that if mice were the transmission culprit, the plague could not spread quickly enough to kill 25 million people.

In particular, the conclusion of Olso University and Ferrara University is similar to the description of plague of poet Italy Giovanni Boccaccio. This poet once wrote: "Just touching your clothes can spread the disease."

Although initially aimed at understanding history, the work is still important because the plague has never disappeared. In 2017, plague broke out in Madagascar, causing at least 202 deaths."Understanding more about the disease will help reduce mortality in the future," said biology professor Nils Stenseth from Olso University, speaking to the BBC.

From the above research, it is possible to draw lessons to keep clean and at the same time restricting contact with patients, which is the key to preventing outbreaks. About mice, of course they are not completely harmless. Even without plague, they still carry this pathogen and a host of other risks.