Ancient DNA Reveals Rare Leprosy Strain Existed in the Americas for Millennia

Before Columbus: A 4,000-Year-Old Skeleton Reveals a Rare Leprosy Strain in the Americas

Scientists have decoded the genetic blueprints of a rare leprosy bacterium preserved in 4,000-year-old Chilean skeletons, opening a surprising new chapter in the story of Hansen’s disease. Researchers reconstructed two complete genomes of Mycobacterium lepromatosis, an uncommon cousin of the main leprosy germ. The discovery pushes the timeline of Hansen’s disease in the Americas back [...]

4,000-year-old Mycobacterium lepromatosis genomes from Chile reveal long establishment of Hansen’s disease in the Americas

Mycobacterium lepromatosis is a recently identified cause of Hansen’s disease, and is associated with the more severe and potentially lethal presentations of diffuse lepromatous leprosy and Lucio’s phenomenon. Detection of this infection has been limited to a small number of individuals, leaving much to be learned about its global distribution and transmissibility. Its discovery in wild rodent populations in the United Kingdom and Ireland also r…

Ancient DNA sheds light on the origins of leprosy in the Americas

Hansen's Disease, more commonly known as leprosy, is a chronic disease that can lead to physical impairment. Today it exists in over 100 countries, and while the infection is treatable, access to treatment varies widely with socioeconomic conditions.

Ancient DNA reveals leprosy hit the Americas long before colonization

Leprosy’s tale stretches from 5,000-year-old skeletons in Eurasia to a startling 4,000-year-old case in Chile, revealing that the rare strain Mycobacterium lepromatosis haunted the Americas millennia before Europeans arrived. Armed with cutting-edge ancient-DNA sleuthing, scientists have pieced together remarkably well-preserved genomes that challenge the idea of leprosy as purely a colonial import and hint that the disease may have homegrown Am…

Ancient DNA reveals rare leprosy strain existed in the Americas for millennia

Hansen's Disease, more commonly known as leprosy, is a chronic disease that can lead to physical impairment. Today it exists in over 100 countries, and while the infection is treatable, access to treatment varies widely with socioeconomic conditions.