Squirrel fur linked to spread of leprosy 1,000 years ago
UK-based scientists analysing the skull of a woman who died over 1,000 years ago have found leprosy strains closely related to the type of leprosy still found in modern red squirrels. The disease, which was an endemic in the eastern part of England for centuries, could have spread due to the prevalent usage of squirrel fur, said researchers.