New Study Suggests Animals Other Than Rats May Have Spread Plague to Humans

A recent study published on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, indicates that communities of hunter-gatherers in Siberia were contracting the plague as early as 5,500 years ago. This finding challenges the long-held belief that rats were the primary vectors for the disease's transmission to humans. The research suggests that other animal species may have played a significant role in spreading the plague during the Neolithic period. This new perspective on the plague's origins could alter our understanding of historical epidemics. It prompts a re-evaluation of ancient disease transmission routes. The study contributes to paleopathology and the history of infectious diseases.

The study revises our understanding of the plague's origins, suggesting animals other than rats may have been responsible for its initial spread to human populations thousands of years ago.