Biological Warfare at the 1346 Siege of Caffa

Conclusion

Gabriele de' Mussi's account of the origin and spread of plague appears to be consistent with most known facts, although mistaken in its claim that plague arrived in Italy directly from the Crimea. His account of biological attack is plausible, consistent with the technology of the time, and it provides the best explanation of disease transmission into besieged Caffa. This thus appears to be one of the first biological attacks recorded^[22] and among the most successful of all time.

However, it is unlikely that the attack had a decisive role in the spread of plague to Europe. Much maritime commerce probably continued throughout this period, from other Crimean ports. Overland caravan routes to the Middle East were also unaffected. Thus, refugees from Caffa would most likely have constituted only one of several streams of infected ships and caravans leaving the region. The siege of Caffa, for all of its dramatic appeal, probably had no more than anecdotal importance in the spread of plague, a macabre incident in terrifying times.

Despite its historical unimportance, the siege of Caffa is a powerful reminder of the horrific consequences when disease is successfully used as a weapon. The Japanese use of plague as a weapon in World War II^[29] and the huge Soviet stockpiles of Y. pestis prepared for use in an all-out war^[30] further remind us that plague remains a very real problem for modern arms control, six and a half centuries later.^[31]

Thanks to Christina Frei for translation from German (Henschel) and to Remo Morelli for translation from Italian (Tononi).

Emerging Infectious Diseases. 2002;8(9) © 2002 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Cite this: Biological Warfare at the 1346 Siege of Caffa - Medscape - Sep 01, 2002.