Ancient Egyptian mummy reveals early plague traces
Scientists have discovered DNA of the bacterium Yersinia pestis in a mummy from Egypt dated back approximately 3,300 years, confirming the presence of the plague outside Eurasia.
This groundbreaking discovery reveals the DNA of Yersinia pestis, the bacterium responsible for the plague, in a mummy from Egypt dating to around 3,300 years ago. It represents the oldest confirmed case of the plague outside Eurasia, implying that this disease was present in North Africa during the Bronze Age.
DNA of the Black Death in an ancient mummy
Research on the mummy, housed in the Museo Egizio in Turin, identified Yersinia pestis DNA in both bone tissue and intestinal contents. This indicates that the individual succumbed at an advanced stage of the disease. While scientists note that it is difficult to ascertain the prevalence of the plague in ancient Egypt, earlier studies hint at potential epidemics along the Nile.
Previous findings, such as fleas discovered in Amarna, where workers on Tutankhamun's tomb resided, and medical texts from the Ebers Papyrus describing a disease with plague-like symptoms, support the hypothesis of its presence in ancient Egypt. New studies provide significant evidence of the plague's existence in this region, although comprehensive research results are still pending.
Further research ongoing
"The abstract published in The Bozen-Bolzano Institutional Archive (BIA) states that the genomic data obtained is undergoing further analysis to associate the ancient strain with the current diversity of Y. pestis, study virulence-related genes, and describe its potential transmission modes and pathology.
The evidence of the plague's presence outside Eurasia is molecular, and it remains unclear how widespread the disease was in this region during that time.
