Syphilis Emerged in the Americas Before Columbus

Genetic Breakthrough Reveals Syphilis Originated in the Americas, Spreading Globally Through Colonialism

New genetic research has resolved a centuries-old debate about the origins of syphilis, showing that the disease and its bacterial relatives originated in the Americas long before European colonization. Published in Nature, the study analyzed ancient DNA from skeletal remains, revealing that syphilis spread globally following the return of Columbus and his crew, driving the first documented European outbreak of the disease in 1495. “The data clearly support a root in the Americas for syphilis and its known relatives,” stated Kirsten Bos, group leader for molecular paleopathology at the Max Planck Institute.

Using advanced DNA recovery techniques, scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology examined five ancient genomes from regions including Mexico, Chile, Peru, and Argentina. This research demonstrated that ancient Americas harbored diverse treponemal infections, the bacterial family responsible for syphilis, yaws, and bejel. “We see extinct sister lineages for all known forms of this disease family,” explained Rodrigo Barquera, highlighting the depth of the findings. While indigenous populations lived with early forms of these infections for millennia, European colonial networks facilitated their global dissemination.

This discovery also challenges previous theories suggesting a European origin for syphilis based on skeletal remains with syphilis-like lesions predating 1492. Researchers suggest these cases may represent related, yet distinct diseases. The findings underscore the devastating health impacts of colonialism, which not only brought diseases to the Americas but also introduced syphilis to Europe, making it one of the few diseases to travel in reverse during this period.

Source: https://scienceblog.com/550403/syphilis-emerged-in-the-americas-before-columbus/