The syphilis bacterium already existed in America before the arrival of Europeans and had a non-venereal variant - scientists
Kyiv • UNN
Researchers have found a subspecies of the bacteria that causes syphilis in human remains dating back 2,000 years in Brazil. The discovery provides new insights into the origin of syphilis, particularly its non-venereal variant.
In human remains dating back 2,000 years in South America, research scientists have discovered a subspecies of the bacterium that causes syphilis. This is now considered a significant step forward in the search for the origin of the disease, and also indicates that the infection probably had a non-venereal variant before the Portuguese arrived in modern Brazil.
This is stated in the article of Nature, reports UNN.
Details
An international team of research scientists analyzed bones from a grave discovered 20 years ago in the coastal region of Santa Catarina, Brazil. In the bones of people who died in South America 2,000 years ago, scientists found bacterial DNA that is closely related to the syphilis bacterium. To date, this is the oldest finding on this topic. It turns out that two thousand years ago, Indians in the south of modern Brazil suffered from endemic syphilis.
Context
The discovery is an important step forward in the search for the origins of syphilis and related diseases, as it is the first time that syphilis has been convincingly proven to have occurred before 1492. That year, when Columbus established contact between Europe and America on three ships, is considered a milestone in the history of the disease, as syphilis spread rapidly in Europe and became a terrible sexually transmitted disease.
But newer evidence, based on the analysis of human remains in Europe, has revealed that the disease was on the continent before Columbus.
Conclusions of the international cooperation of researchers
According to Verena Schunemann, head of the South American study, the history of the infection is "probably much more complicated." She noted that, to the researchers' surprise, they did not find pathogens of classical syphilis in the genetic material of the bones, but rather pathogens of endemic syphilis.
Interestingly, both pathogens belong to the genus Treponema. However, unlike classical syphilis, endemic syphilis is not sexually transmitted, but mainly through the skin.
Analysis of these DNAs from 4 people showed that they were infected with a subspecies of T. pallidum, which may have been the ancestor of T. pallidum endemicum, which causes Bedell's disease (non-venereal endemic syphilis).
HelpHelp
Typically transmitted through non-sexual skin contact or sharing utensils, bedsores are characterized by lesions that start in the mouth and spread to the skin and bones.
The bacterium has long since spread around the world
Using DNA samples taken from 2000-year-old bones, researchers have dated the emergence of the syphilis bacteria family to between 12,000 and 550 BC.
However, it should be noted that the team of scientists found no evidence of T. pallidum causing syphilis today, so the origin of this particular subspecies remains unclear.
Transient diseases always remain a big mystery
The infections may have originated in other parts of the world before they arrived in America, but data is needed to confirm this, she says.
Today, endemic syphilis is predominantly spread in the hottest and most arid regions of the world. It is especially common in Africa and Western Asia.
Understanding how these diseases have spread and evolved in the past also helps to understand how they are spreading today,
