Plague Outbreaks: New Study Reveals Shocking Role of Human Body Lice in Historical Pandemics
Atlanta, Georgia – New research from a team of scientists at the United States’ National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) suggests that human body lice may have played a more significant role in historical pandemics than previously believed. Their study challenges the common belief that fleas and rats are the primary culprits behind the spread of plague outbreaks. The findings, published in the open-access journal PLOS Biology, indicate that human body lice are …