Plague or Black Death could re-emerge: Cause of one of the most devastating pandemics in human history revealed
Monday, January 27, 2014 - 22:30
in Health & Medicine
Scientists have discovered that two of the world's most devastating plagues -- the plague of Justinian and the Black Death, each responsible for killing as many as half the people in Europe -- were caused by distinct strains of the same pathogen, one that faded out on its own, the other leading to worldwide spread and re-emergence in the late 1800s. These findings suggest a new strain of plague could emerge again in humans in the future.