What Was the Bubonic Plague?
Reviewed: Dr. Gromatzky
3. Transmission
The bacterium responsible for the plague can infect a number of animals. These include rats, mice, rabbits, prairie dogs, voles, chipmunks, and squirrels. The disease is closely associated with the black rat which was thought to have been behind the spread of the disease. This reputation is not entirely deserved, however.
While the black rat certainly helped with the spread of the disease, it was actually fleas that were responsible for most cases. The fleas would feed on an infected animal, becoming infected themselves, and would then later feed on a person. People could also become infected through infested blood, and also from coughs (pneumonic plague).
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