ID#: 17952
Caption:
This image depicts a black rat, Rattus rattus, which is one of the amplification hosts associated with the spread of Black Death, or plague. In this particular case, this rat was killed after being discovered in a child’s crib. Rats infected with the plague bacteria, Yersinia pestis, host fleas, which ingest the rat’s infected blood, in turn themselves becoming infected. If these fleas then bite a human being, in order to obtain another blood meal, they transfer these bacteria, thereby, infecting the human with plague.
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Content Provider(s): CDC/ Dr. J.M. Clinton
Creation Date: 1968
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Copyright Restrictions: Permission is not required for public domain images, however, these images are provided by CDC and are available for personal, professional, and educational use with appropriate attribution. Redistribution must credit CDC and, where known, the individual photographer, and identify the CDC website as the free source. For additional terms see Use of Agency Materials | Other | CDC