Authors: Martyna Molak; Meriam Guellil; Gunnar U. Neumann; Ana Maria Silva; Alexei Avlasovich; Núria Montes; Sofia N. Wasterlain; Linda Melo; Rezeda I. Tukhbatova; Alena Kushniarevich; Charlotte Avanzi; Judith Neukamm; Vitória Duarte; Charlotte A. Roberts; Maria Teresa Ferreira; N. Berezina; Stewart T. Cole; Vítor Matos; Kristiina Tambets; Laura González-Garrido; Lehti Saag; John Robb; Célia Lopes; Sarah Inskip; Johannes Krause; Alison Sheridan; Alexandra P. Buzhilova; Saskia Pfrengle; Verena J. Schuenemann; Dmitry S. Korobov; Natasa Sarkic; Philippe Busso; Craig Cessford; Ella Reiter; Marcel Keller; Nathalie Antunes-Ferreira; Christiana L. Scheib; Stian S. Hamre; Ana Luísa Santos

Venue: BMC Biology

Type: Publication

Abstract: AbstractBackgroundHansen’s disease (leprosy), widespread in medieval Europe, is today mainly prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions with around 200,000 new cases reported annually. Despite its long history and appearance in historical records, its origins and past dissemination patterns are still widely unknown. Applying ancient DNA approaches to its major causative agent,Mycobacterium leprae, can significantly improve our understanding of the disease’s complex history. Previous studies have identified a high genetic continuity of th... (read more)

DOI: 10.5451/unibas-ep91251