--- title: Don't Worry, There's Probably No Bubonic Plague on NYC Subways description: A scary study that suggested bubonic plague might be riding NYC subways along with commuters has been toned down by the study authors. canonical: https://time.com/3982289/bubonic-plague-nyc-subway/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-08-03T16:40:09.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:58:18.463Z article:section: Health og:title: Don't Worry, There's Probably No Plague on the NYC Subway og:description: The findings of a widely publicized study may have been overblown og:url: https://time.com/3982289/bubonic-plague-nyc-subway/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf6bd1479f714f4d7/69885d93cd1bba3f786fc901/subway.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5120 og:image:height: 2880 og:image:alt: 139626652 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Don't Worry, There's Probably No Plague on the NYC Subway twitter:description: The findings of a widely publicized study may have been overblown twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf6bd1479f714f4d7/69885d93cd1bba3f786fc901/subway.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Don't Worry, There's Probably No Bubonic Plague on NYC Subways > Sponsored content. 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Health Matters is TIME's daily health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free daily newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ## Video: Half Of DNA, Bacteria In NYC Subways Are Unknown [Watch (HLS stream): Half Of DNA, Bacteria In NYC Subways Are Unknown](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Ah09EAQf.m3u8) (1:51)  _Published 2015-02-06. Germaphobes, you’ve been warned. While Cornell researchers made some truly astounding findings when they did city-wide mapping of DNA and other microorganisms on subway surfaces, many of the microbes are there for our good._ by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Aug 3, 2015 4:40 PM UTC  Inside a subway train, NYC Inside a subway train, NYC Getty Images by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Aug 3, 2015 4:40 PM UTC If you gave up riding the New York City subway after a study suggested it might be hosting bubonic plague, then it’s time to buy yourself an MTA card — the study’s conclusion has been walked back by its authors. The research, which was published in February in the journal _Cell Systems_, suggested that there were possible traces of bubonic plague and anthrax on New York City subways in addition to other microbes. [In a correction](http://www.cell.com/cell-systems/abstract/S2405-4712%2815%2900016-2) added to the study on July 29, the researchers underline the very speculative nature of their findings. In reference to the bubonic plague and anthrax findings, the researchers write, “there is minimal coverage to the backbone genome of these organisms, and there is no strong evidence to suggest these organisms are in fact present, and no evidence of pathogenicity.” When the researchers’ findings were first published several months ago, medical experts at the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the New York City Department of Health took issue and publicly [called them into question](http://www.cell.com/cell-systems/fulltext/S2405-4712%2815%2900016-2). In the wake of the study’s release, the researchers [admitted](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/07/nyregion/bubonic-plague-in-the-subway-system-dont-worry-about-it.html) they could not be completely certain the bacteria they found was indeed bubonic plague, but the findings were not updated until last Wednesday. 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