No evidence for persistent natural plague reservoirs in historical and modern Europe
The result's identifiers
Result code in IS VaVaI
<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F86652079%3A_____%2F22%3A00569995" target="_blank" >RIV/86652079:_____/22:00569995 - isvavai.cz</a>
Alternative codes found
RIV/00216224:14310/22:00128931
Result on the web
<a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/epdf/10.1073/pnas.2209816119" target="_blank" >https://www.pnas.org/doi/epdf/10.1073/pnas.2209816119</a>
DOI - Digital Object Identifier
<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2209816119" target="_blank" >10.1073/pnas.2209816119</a>
Alternative languages
Result language
angličtina
Original language name
No evidence for persistent natural plague reservoirs in historical and modern Europe
Original language description
Caused by Yersinia pestis, plague ravaged the world through three known pandemics: the First or the Justinianic (6th–8th century), the Second (beginning with the Black Death during c.1338–1353 and lasting until the 19th century), and the Third (which became global in 1894). It is debatable whether Y. pestis persisted in European wildlife reservoirs or was repeatedly introduced from outside Europe (as covered by European Union and the British Isles). Here, we analyze environmental data (soil characteristics and climate) from active Chinese plague reservoirs to assess whether such environmental conditions in Europe had ever supported “natural plague reservoirs”. We have used new statistical methods which are validated through predicting the presence of modern plague reservoirs in the western United States. We find no support for persistent natural plague reservoirs in either historical or modern Europe. Two factors make Europe unfavorable for long-term plague reservoirs: 1) Soil texture and biochemistry and 2) low rodent diversity. By comparing rodent communities in Europe with those in China and the United States, we conclude that a lack of suitable host species might be the main reason for the absence of plague reservoirs in Europe today. These findings support the hypothesis that long-term plague reservoirs did not exist in Europe and therefore question the importance of wildlife rodent species as the primary plague hosts in Europe.
Czech name
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Czech description
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Classification
Type
J<sub>imp</sub> - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database
CEP classification
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OECD FORD branch
30303 - Infectious Diseases
Result continuities
Project
<a href="/en/project/EF16_019%2F0000797" target="_blank" >EF16_019/0000797: SustES - Adaptation strategies for sustainable ecosystem services and food security under adverse environmental conditions</a><br>
Continuities
I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace
Others
Publication year
2022
Confidentiality
S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů
Data specific for result type
Name of the periodical
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
ISSN
0027-8424
e-ISSN
—
Volume of the periodical
119
Issue of the periodical within the volume
51
Country of publishing house
US - UNITED STATES
Number of pages
8
Pages from-to
e2209816119
UT code for WoS article
000944703500010
EID of the result in the Scopus database
2-s2.0-85143993362