Published in Nature Communications · View the paper (DOI)
A team of researchers analyzed two 3,800-year-old genomes, identifying the oldest sequenced strain with virulence factors characteristic of bubonic plague. The study suggests a Bronze Age origin for the disease, dating it back around 4,000 years.
Coverage from 2 institutions
- Oldest bubonic plague genome decoded Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology · Jun 8, 2018 · first to report
- Oldest plague bacteria genome analyzed by Russian-German team Kazan Federal University · Jun 9, 2018