Study Indicates Body Lice May Have Spread Bubonic Plague During Middle Ages More Than Previously Thought

NBC News (5/21, Carroll) reports, “Scientists have long debated whether human body lice might have helped drive the rapid spread of the bacteria responsible for the deadly plague in the Middle Ages, known as the Black Death.” Now, “a study published Tuesday in PLOS Biology suggests that body lice may be more efficient at transmitting the plague bacteria, Yersinia pestis, than previously thought and thus might have helped drive up the numbers in the bubonic plague pandemic.”