The Plague of 1348-1349

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Black Death study lets rats off the hook

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/aug/17/black-death-rats-off-hook

Now, what disease do you suppose could possibly spread that fast, and that far, in autumn to early spring?

Very efficient human to human spread, and very high mortality, it's all very interesting, and disturbing to not know the answers.

"The evidence just isn't there to support it," said Barney Sloane, author of The Black Death in London. "We ought to be finding great heaps of dead rats in all the waterfront sites but they just aren't there. And all the evidence I've looked at suggests the plague spread too fast for the traditional explanation of transmission by rats and fleas. It has to be person to person – there just isn't time for the rats to be spreading it."

He added: "It was certainly the Black Death but it is by no means certain what that disease was, whether in fact it was bubonic plague."

As the disease gripped – in October 1348 rather than the late summer others suggested, reaching its height in April 1349 – the numbers of wills soared as panic-striken wealthy citizens realised their deaths were probably imminent.

Mortality continued to rise throughout the bitterly cold winter, when fleas could not have survived, and there is no evidence of enough rats.

(hat tip crofsblog)

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Specializes in ICU, Telemetry.

I've always thought it was a pneumonic variant..."achoo, achoo, we all fall down..."

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Specializes in PACU, OR.

Exactly, Nerd. Pneumonic plague is spread by droplet infection. Bubonic is the flea-vector one, and, if memory serves, is a somewhat less virulent form.

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Specializes in Emergency Room.
I've always thought it was a pneumonic variant..."achoo, achoo, we all fall down..."

Nerd, I hope you can appreciate this for it's own sake....if you are the kind of nerd that I am, you probably will....

http://www.snopes.com/language/literary/rosie.asp

Turns out "atichoo, atichoo, we all fall down" makes for a fine allusory description of pneumonic plague, but in fact, did not originate with the Black Plague.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
Nerd, I hope you can appreciate this for it's own sake....if you are the kind of nerd that I am, you probably will....

http://www.snopes.com/language/literary/rosie.asp

Turns out "atichoo, atichoo, we all fall down" makes for a fine allusory description of pneumonic plague, but in fact, did not originate with the Black Plague.

Love it!!!! :yeah: Pneumonic Plague.....

Plague is an infectious disease that affects animals and humans. It is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. This bacterium is found in rodents and their fleas and occurs in many areas of the world, including the United States.

Y. pestis is easily destroyed by sunlight and drying. Even so, when released into air, the bacterium will survive for up to one hour, although this could vary depending on conditions.

Pneumonic plague is one of several forms of plague. Depending on circumstances, these forms may occur separately or in combination:

http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/plague/factsheet.asp

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Specializes in Home Health.

Could be the rats were resistant to the disease!

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Specializes in PACU, OR.

when did they change the name to yersinia? I've always known it as Pasteurella....

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Specializes in Emergency Room.
when did they change the name to yersinia? I've always known it as Pasteurella....

They haven't changed it. Bubonic plague has always been Yersinia. Pastuerella is something different altogether. http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/224920-overview#a0101

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Specializes in PACU, OR.
They haven't changed it. Bubonic plague has always been Yersinia. Pastuerella is something different altogether. http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/224920-overview#a0101

"Always" as in how long? :D

I looked it up myself. This was the first entry in pages of "Pasteurella Pestis".

http://www.google.co.za/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CBoQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FYersinia_pestis&rct=j&q=pasteurella%20pestis&ei=ygpQTuDHFa3nmAXl64XTBg&usg=AFQjCNG8SpNyFuTCE_A6X7JRpgolsE3XsA&sig2=SmPK1DVBzz5LdfoVf38HMQ&cad=rja

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Specializes in Emergency Room.
"Always" as in how long? :D

:rotfl:

Well, according to your Wikipedia article, since 1967! I was born in 1976, and took micro and patho in the mid-90s, so for me it has always been Yersinia! All I ever knew of the Pasteurella genus is pretty much covered here:

http://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Pasteurella

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Specializes in PACU, OR.
:rotfl:

Well, according to your Wikipedia article, since 1967! I was born in 1976, and took micro and patho in the mid-90s, so for me it has always been Yersinia! All I ever knew of the Pasteurella genus is pretty much covered here:

http://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Pasteurella

Fear not! My micro notes from the 80's also referred to Pasteurella. Looks like it took about 25 years for Yersin to be recognized by nursing colleges, at least those in South Africa :lol2:

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I am puzzled as to why anyone would expect to see piles of dead rodents. Rats have incredible immune systems.

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