The origins of the plague go back to the Neolithic Age, with the oldest findings of the causative pathogen Yersinia pestis coming from human bones around 5,000 years old. In the history of the plague, the late antique Justinianic plague from the sixth century and the so-called Black Death of the late Middle Ages stand out.
They were demonstrably caused by Y. pestis, and according to estimates, wiped out up to half the population in parts of Europe. While smaller, regionally limited outbreaks occurred repeatedly over the centuries on different continents, a third plague pandemic occurred from the mid-19th to the beginning of the 20th century.
At first, it mainly affected Asia, with a focus on India, and subsequently spread globally. With around 15 million confirmed deaths, it is one of the deadliest pandemics in human history. The plague continues to occur regionally in the present day and is almost always fatal if not treated quickly with antibiotics.
Over thousands of years, Y. pestis has evolved into numerous strains, via both acquisition and loss of genes. Researchers worldwide are studying the evolution of Y. pestis to find out more about the causes of historical pandemics and the dangers that the plague continues to pose.
In particular, they are investigating the genetic characteristics of the pathogen, which are responsible for transmission, geographical distribution and disease severity, among others. In a new study, a research team from Kiel University and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology in Plön (MPI-EB) has examined ancient and modern Y. pestis genomes ranging from the Neolithic to the modern pandemic.
2023-07-27 00:00:05
Link from phys.org rnrn