University of Missouri researchers discovered that the bubonic plague can sometimes be transmitted to a flea's offspring.
Deborah Anderson and Brenda Beernsten, both professors in veterinarian pathobiology, assessed the likely risk of the bubonic plague being spread.
Based on their research, Anderson said the plague poses a risk not only to humans but also to the ecosystem of an area.
For example, black-footed ferrets, an endangered species in the U.S., rely primarily on prairie dogs for food. Prairie dog populations can be wiped out by the bubonic plague, making it harder for ferrets to survive.
Anderson said scientists have observed that the plague can reemerge in the same area even after decades of dormancy.
"Nowadays we have great technology to trace the history of the strains that are causing the outbreaks and they can now confirm that is the same strain," Anderson said.
Their research could help explain why the same strain of the plague reappears after years of inactivity, Anderson said.
The plague came to the U.S. in the 1900s. While Missourians are not at risk of contracting the plague, research indicates that fleas found in western states have the potential to infect an area.
With the advent of antibiotics people are more likely to survive the bubonic plague.
Beernsten said disease transmission does not always pass to offspring, adding that this research challenges conventional beliefs.
"It is not every tick and every protozoa or every mosquito and every virus," Beernsten said. "Even if the offspring are infected they are not always able to transmit the disease to an animal."
Anderson and Beernsten encourage people to keep interactions with wild animals to a minimum.
"Don't feed the squirrels," Anderson said.
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