Tag: Treponema pallidum
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Syphilis origins traced to prehistoric Americas
Uncovering a deep past: a genome from the ancient pathogen Researchers have long debated where syphilis, caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum, first took hold in human populations. A groundbreaking study now pushes the origin of this treponemal disease far back into the prehistoric Americas. By sequencing the genome of a 5,500-year-old Treponema pallidum specimen…
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Tracing the Deep Origins of Syphilis: New Genome Sheds Light on Treponema Pallidum in Prehistoric Americas
New Genetic Evidence Rewrites the Timeline of a Classic Disease Scientists have sequenced the genome of Treponema pallidum, the bacterium that causes syphilis, from a remarkably ancient source: a 5,500-year-old specimen found in Colombia. The research, which analyzes this prehistoric DNA, reveals that treponemal diseases—conditions caused by related bacteria including the one behind syphilis—trace deep…
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Syphilis Origins: Treponema Pallidum in Prehistoric Americas
New genomic evidence pushes back the timeline of syphilis in the Americas A remarkable new study sequencing the bacterium Treponema pallidum, the culprit behind syphilis, reveals a deep historical footprint of treponemal diseases in the Americas. By analyzing a 5,500-year-old specimen from Colombia, researchers have provided a window into how syphilis and related diseases emerged…