All plague articles
-
NewsThe plague may have caused the downfall of the Stone Age farmers
Ancient DNA from bones and teeth hints at a role of the plague in Stone Age population collapse. Contrary to previous beliefs, the plague may have diminished Europe’s populations long before the major plague outbreaks of the Middle Ages.
-
NewsBody lice may be bigger plague spreaders than previously thought
A new laboratory study suggests that human body lice are more efficient at transmitting Yersinia pestis, the bacterium that causes plague, than previously thought, supporting the possibility that they may have contributed to past pandemics.
-
NewsScientists ID risks of human flea infestations in plague-endemic areas of Madagascar
The abundance of human fleas in Madagascar is primarily associated with households that have a traditional dirt floor covered by a plant-fiber mat, as opposed to households with cement or board floors, a study finds.
-
NewsResearchers unmask an old foe’s tricks to thwart new diseases
Researchers are studying Yersinia pestis, the bacterium that causes bubonic and pneumonic plague, to better understand its ability to evade the immune system and apply that understanding to control other pathogens.
-
News4,000-year-old plague DNA found – the oldest cases to date in Britain
Researchers have identified three 4,000-year-old British cases of Yersinia pestis, the bacteria causing the plague – the oldest evidence of the plague in Britain to date.
-
NewsResearchers develop world’s first mRNA vaccine for deadly bacteria
A team of researchers has developed an mRNA-based vaccine that is 100% effective against a type of bacteria that is lethal to humans.
-
NewsResearchers scour more than 600 genome sequences in quest for origins of Black Death
Researchers seeking to better understand the origins and movement of bubonic plague have completed a painstaking granular examination of hundreds of modern and ancient genome sequences, the largest analysis of its kind.
-
NewsStudy reveals how plague spreads through wild rodent populations
Mathematical modeling reveals how fleas with early-stage Yersinia pestis infections are insufficient to drive epizootic outbreaks but can help promote a low level of enzootic plague.
