Gerbils were the true cause of the Black Death, study suggests

BLACK rats might not be responsible for the plagues that killed millions of people across medieval Europe, research suggests.

Instead scientists believe that outbreaks of the Black Death may in fact be traced to gerbils arriving from Asia.

A study found that epidemics of the plague were triggered by fluctuations in climate, with peaks in Europe coming after periods of warm weather in central Asia.

The Black Death originated in Asia and arrived in the ports of the Mediterranean in 1347, brought in by the land and sea trade routes of the ancient Silk Road.

This epidemic marked the start of the second plague pandemic, which killed millions of people.

Scientists propose that instead of being introduced once to medieval Europe and surviving, the plague was brought in many times over a period of more than 400 years.

The study, published in the the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, saw researchers analyse more than 7,700 documented outbreaks of plague in Europe with treering records from there and Asia.

The researchers said: “We pr ov ide ev idenc e f or repeated climate-driven reintroductions of the bacterium into European harbours from reservoirs in Asia.

“Our analysis finds no support for the existence of permanent plague reservoirs in medieval Europe.”

The bacterium that caused the plague is carried in fleas which in Asia were prevalent on giant gerbils.

Professor Nils Stenseth, from the University of Oslo, told the BBC: “We show that wherever there were good conditions for gerbils and fleas in central Asia, some years later the bacteria shows up in harbour cities in Europe and spreads across the continent.” BRITISH designer Anya Hindmarch has unveiled her road-inspired bags and first line of clothing on the final day of London Fashion Week.

Hindmarch, whose leather accessories are sold in nine countries, said she believed her success was down to the British humour of her brand with traffic signs emblazoned onto handbags, shirts and coats this season.

Hindmarch said: “We have lot of stores in Japan and I think it’s a really exciting market there. The US is very buoyant at the moment as well, so I think the whole world is feeling more confident in a way. The Britishness of the brand is quite fresh in a way, it’s slight different perhaps, so it’s an exciting time for us.”