Syphilis-linked bacteria circulated in the Americas thousands of years before Columbus: study

Researchers have recovered ancient DNA containing bacteria related to syphilis — potentially pushing the known history of the disease back by more than 3,000 years, according to their study.

The findings, announced in a Jan. 22 press release, are the result of a study of 5,500-year-old human remains in Sabana de Bogotá, Colombia. The research was published in the journal Science this month.

Researchers analyzing the remains recovered a genome of Treponema pallidum, the bacterium responsible for syphilis and three other treponemal diseases.

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A genome is the DNA blueprint of an organism. In the recent study, researchers used ancient DNA remnants to reconstruct the bacterium's genome.

They sampled the skeleton's shin bone — an unusual method, as most genomes are recovered from teeth or bones of people who were clearly infected.

"The approach paid off, suggesting that even bones without visible signs of disease could be valuable sources of pathogen DNA," the release said.

The study indicates that syphilis-related bacteria existed in the Americas long before Columbus arrived.

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There is no scientific consensus about when syphilis actually began — but it was first documented in Europe in the 15th century.

"The discovery pushes the genetic record of this pathogenic species back by more than 3,000 years," the press release asserted. 

"[This] strengthen[s] evidence that these infections have circulated in the Americas far longer than previously known."

Other sources point out that the new study was based on a single ancient genome — "and there are no equally old genomes from Europe or other regions for direct comparison," according to the American Association for the Advancement of Science, as noted in Technology Networks. 

"Future research will need more ancient genomes from different places and times, alongside studies of human immune responses and closer collaboration with Indigenous communities," the Washington, D.C.-based organization said. "Taken together, this work does not settle the syphilis debate, but it does show how much of the story is still missing."

The new findings emerged "unexpectedly," the release noted, as researchers were not initially searching for signs of disease.

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They "originally sequenced the individual’s DNA to study human population history, generating 1.5 billion fragments of genetic data — far more than typical studies," the statement said.

"While screening the data, teams at the University of California, Santa Cruz and the University of Lausanne independently detected T. pallidum and joined forces to investigate."

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Lars Fehren-Schmitz, a geneticist at the University of California, Santa Cruz, who was involved in the study, said the findings highlight the value of studying ancient DNA.

"Our findings show the unique potential of paleogenomics to contribute to our understanding of the evolution of species, and potential health risks for past and present communities," Fehren-Schmitz said.

Archaeological finds involving ancient diseases are uncommon, but advances in DNA analysis have led to significant discoveries.

In November, researchers published findings about the deadly pathogens that ravaged Napoleon's soldiers during his doomed 1812 retreat from Russia.