Archaeological evidence suggests the fluffy rodents were hosts of leprosy-causing bacteria.
Medieval residents of Winchester, England, probably got their leprosy from red squirrel s in the area, according to a team of archaeologists and geneticists that studied remains from two archaeological sites in the city. Leprosy—officially Hansen ’s disease—is a highly contagious disease that can cause nerve damage, paralysis, and blindness if not treated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In the study, the team found that the bacterial strain in the medieval squirrels is more closely related to some of the strains in the medieval residents of Winchester than the strains present in modern red squirrels. As noted by the team in the study, squirrels were regularly kept as pets in England in medieval times and squirrel fur was widely used in garments across Europe during the Middle Ages, many of which made their way to England through trade.
Red Squirrel Zoonosis Bacterial Diseases American Red Squirrel Leper Colony Alfred Mycobacterium Leprae Squirrel Sciurus Verena Schuenemann Acid-Fast Bacilli Hansen M. Leprae Influenza A Virus Subtype H5N1 Mycobacterium Gizmodo
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