In the early 14th century, a lady is depicted playing with a pet squirrel in the Luttrell Psalter. Recent research from archaeological sites in Winchester reveals that English red squirrels were hosts for leprosy strains that affected humans during the Medieval Period. The study identified red squirrels as the first ancient animal host of leprosy, indicating an independent circulation of the disease between humans and squirrels. This finding challenges previous understandings of leprosy transmission and highlights the need to consider animal hosts in disease research. The close relationship between medieval squirrel strains and human strains suggests a complex history of leprosy transmission.
https://phys.org/news/2024-05-medieval-england-leprosy-red-squirrels.html