Before WWI, Trench Fever Plagued the Ancient Romans and Napoleonic Soldiers

Infectious diseases ran rampant during World War I, with ailments ranging from influenza to trench fever, meningitis and pneumonia plaguing soldiers stationed on the frontlines. Scientists once thought that trench fever, a condition transmitted by body lice, originated during the war, but new research published in the journal PLOS One suggests that it actually dates back to ancient times.