What creature spread the bubonic plague during the Black Death pandemic?
The creature primarily responsible for spreading the bubonic plague during the Black Death pandemic was the Oriental rat flea (Xenopsylla cheopis). These tiny parasites lived on black rats (Rattus rattus), which were common in urban areas and on ships throughout Europe and Asia. The fleas would feed on infected rats, ingesting the bacteria Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of the plague.
Once infected, the fleas' digestive tracts would often become blocked by the multiplying bacteria. This blockage would cause them to become extremely hungry and more likely to bite other hosts, including humans. When an infected flea bit a human, it would regurgitate the Yersinia pestis bacteria into the bloodstream, leading to the rapid spread of the devastating disease across populations. While rats were the primary reservoir for the bacteria, it was the rat flea that acted as the crucial vector, transmitting the plague to humans and fueling the Black Death pandemic.
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