A treponemal genome from an historic plague victim supports a recent emergence of yaws and its presence in 15th century Europe.

Scientific Reports
Karen GiffinKirsten I Bos

Abstract

Developments in techniques for identification of pathogen DNA in archaeological samples can expand our resolution of disease detection. Our application of a non-targeted molecular screening tool for the parallel detection of pathogens in historical plague victims from post-medieval Lithuania revealed the presence of more than one active disease in one individual. In addition to Yersinia pestis, we detected and genomically characterized a septic infection of Treponema pallidum pertenue, a subtype of the treponemal disease family recognised as the cause of the tropical disease yaws. Our finding in northern Europe of a disease that is currently restricted to equatorial regions is interpreted within an historical framework of intercontinental trade and potential disease movements. Through this we offer an alternative hypothesis for the history and evolution of the treponemal diseases, and posit that yaws be considered an important contributor to the sudden epidemic of late 15th century Europe that is widely ascribed to syphilis.

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Citations

Oct 10, 2020·The Lancet Infectious Diseases·Rémi BarbieriDidier Raoult
Dec 11, 2020·Clinical Microbiology Reviews·R BarbieriM Drancourt
Sep 24, 2021·Journal of Controlled Release : Official Journal of the Controlled Release Society·Garima JoshiKhushwant S Yadav
Oct 7, 2020·Current Biology : CB·Mathew A Beale, Sheila A Lukehart
Oct 7, 2020·Current Biology : CB·Sebastián DuchêneHendrik Poinar

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Methods Mentioned

BETA
PCR
genotyping

Software Mentioned

smartpca
UnifiedGenotyper
TempEst
HOPS
MEGAN Alignment Tool ( MALT )
ClonalFrameML
EAGER
RAxML
Genome Analysis Toolkit ( GATK )
mapDamage2

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