Ancient DNA Uncovers 4,000-Year-Old Leprosy in the Americas
TL;DR Summary
Researchers discovered 4,000-year-old genomes of the rare leprosy-causing bacteria M. lepromatosis in Chilean skeletons, indicating the disease existed in the Americas long before European contact and suggesting an independent origin or early introduction of Hansen’s disease on the continent.
- Ancient DNA reveals rare leprosy strain in the Americas thousands of years before European contact Archaeology News Online Magazine
- 4,000-year-old Mycobacterium lepromatosis genomes from Chile reveal long establishment of Hansen’s disease in the Americas Nature
- Ancient DNA reveals rare leprosy strain existed in the Americas for millennia Phys.org
- Scientists trace leprosy’s roots in South America back 4,000 years News-Medical
- Before Columbus: A 4,000-Year-Old Skeleton Reveals a Rare Leprosy Strain in the Americas SciTechDaily
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