Researchers thought the bacterium would infect fleas on rats, and when the rats died, the fleas would jump to humans, infecting them. Rats are also thought to be responsible for spreading more recent ...

It turned out that human fleas weren’t good at spreading the bacteria. Next, Hinnebusch and his team turned their attention to body lice. The researchers conducted a series of laboratory ...

Rats and fleas are usually blamed for the spread of the plague in Europe But lice may have been just as responsible for transmitting the disease When it comes to the spread of the plague, rats and ...