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No-Work-2616 t1_j502jxt wrote

Rats didnt spread bubonic plague. The fleas on the rats did. There were so many rodents around at ghat time due to the unsanitary conditions in the streets. As the rata entered the homes, fleas then bit people transmitting the disease. Unsure if it is contracted from somebody coming into contact with it. My guess is if they were in same house, they would all get it due to all being bitten by fleas. Some people were around it all the time and never contracted it which leads me to think it wasnt airborne. But who knows!

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Rear-gunner OP t1_j503q5q wrote

What is commonly believed is that the fleas stuck to the rats until the rats' population went down, and then the fleas switched to people.

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War_Hymn t1_j51nuo0 wrote

I don't think fleas really care if they jump and feed on a human or rat. Especially given that the bubonic plague stem from wild marmots, not rats, from Mongolia in the first place.

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letsgetawayfromhere t1_j52be4d wrote

Actually they do. Fleas usually specialize in the mammal (or group of closely related mammals) they feed on. They can survive feeding on other mammals instead, but they will lose fertility to the point of becoming completely infertile. So fleas will always try and stick to “their”mammal if they can.

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yoshinosumoto t1_j5164vh wrote

Explains urban centers but back then those are far and few between. Even rural areas got hit hard by the black plague.

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Thuis001 t1_j530qbs wrote

Once your urban center is a plague pit, it can spread from there by humans.

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