Laura Bess

MBI 201
Homework 1
Justinian Plague
The Justinian Plague was a massive plague that affected most of Asia, North Africa,
Arabia, and Europe. At the height of the pandemic, it was estimated that 50,000 people died
each day. It began in the 6th century, around 540 AD during the rule of Emperor Justinian.
Its origins are unknown, but there are several theories surrounding it based on the
microbes genome. Researchers were able to extract the DNA of the bacteria from the teeth
of several skeletons that were found in Bavaria, Germany. These skeletons appeared to be
in a mass grave, indicative of a plague burial. Their carbon dating further confirmed their
exposure to the Justinian plague bacteria as it placed their lives during the time when the
pandemic struck Europe. From this DNA, researchers were able to conclude that the
bacterium, Yersinia pestis, is of the same strain that caused the Black plague and another
plague in Southern China. From this, it was reasoned that the plague might have originated
in China. However, being scholars, we know that China is quite far from Rome. To
understand how this plague spread, we must collect other facts about the time in which the
plauge originated. Yersinia pestis is found in 200 species of rodent around the globe. At the
same time, Emperor Justinian was begininning his conquest of Europe. This conquest
meant the movement of armies throughout the continent as well as the opening of trade
routes and rough roads in order to move supplies to the armies and surrounding villages.
With the increase in trade and the movement of people inevitably came the movement of
fleas. Just like the Black Plague, the bacterium is carried in the blood of infected animals.

When fleas bit humans, the bacteria were able to pass into the blood stream and strike the
lymph nodes, forming a buboe and then going on to wreak havoc on the rest of the body.
Eventually, the plague failed to overcome the evolutionary challenges that it was presented
with when it jumped from rodents to humans. To this day however, Yersinia pestis still
exists and has the potential to cause another pandemic. However, modern day antibiotics
and hygiene have essentially stopped another pandemic of that magnitude from affecting
the population.