what to know:
- Leprosy is one of the oldest human diseases and originated in Eurasia or Africa
- A new study found that leprosy is a separate species of bacteria before European disposal.
Scientists once admitted that Europeans had brought leprosy to American continents through bacterial species Mycobacterium lepre.But now a new study published in Journal Science suggests that a different form of laprosy-plain bacteria-called Mycobacterium Lepromatosis-was roaming in the US for at least a thousand years since first. Therefore, leprosy was well affected by American indigenous people before European colonization.
Mycobacterium lapomatosis in America
Studies authors analyzed over 800 samples taken from ancient remains in Canada and Argentina.The rebuilding, analysis of the genomes of bacteria taken from samples was done. Comparison between samples showed that the bacterial genome was of specific branches of lapomatosis species at each end of the continent. However, they remained genetically equal. It suggested that the species of bacteria had spread rapidly in the US, perhaps covering Landmas in a few hundred years. Leprosy is caused by two bacterial species, not one.
Leprosy is an ancient disease
Leprosy has been infecting humans for thousands of years. The disease presents many numb skin lesions. If left untreated, it may result in nerve damage, muscle weakness, paralysis and blindness. Today, leprosy can be treated with antibiotics, but the ancient victims were not so lucky. The skeletal records from 2,000Bce in India have been found with marks of disease caused by mycobacterium lepre.They match the written record of leprosy in ancient literature from Indian, Chinese and African civilizations, as well as stories in Abraham religions. Often, these ancient details combined with the stigma of immorality or impurities of rituals. But in 1874, Norwegian doctor Gerhard Armore Hansen found that leprosy micro -organisms were caused by Mycobacterium lepre. In 2008, doctors in Mexico found another leprosy bacterial species-mcobacterium lapomatosis–in a leprosy patient.Earlier, it was believed that Lepre was the only pathogen capable of causing the disease. Now both forms of bacteria are known to cause it.
European people spread diseases, leprosy also
Nicholas Raskovan, head of the microbial pelogenomics unit at the Pasteur Institute in France, led the investigation. He and his colleagues estimate that lapomatosis and laprare were removed from a normal ancestor about a million years ago. “Diversification probably became independent of humans,” Raskovan told DW.The arrival of America’s first European fleet in 1492 marked America the beginning of new diseases. Leprosy – leprosy as bacteria – was among them.Archaeological evidence has migrated to lepre with human groups in Africa and Asia and Europe about 40,000 years ago. Its introduction to the US with other diseases by Europeans, destroyed indigenous communities and intensified the influence of pathogens that were already aired before colonial. Rascovan stated that the discovery of lapomatosis exposes the diversity of pathogens in history for a long time on the continent and their complex relations with humans throughout the history.“Europeans had a very important impact by bringing this new species [leprae] It was absent in America, “he said.
Leprosy Track and Trace
Rasovon hopes that the presence of leprosy in archeology records will improve the understanding of pre-colonial disease, especially in the absence of written records.In addition, the study helps in understanding modern cases of leprosy, especially how it can jump from animals from animals. “Our job is really starting to analyze, monitor and understand the variety of natural reservoirs as kick start [disease carriers]”Raskovan said. He said that monitoring the disease and preventing spillover from animals to humans should be a priority. The disease is still prevalent today – 200,000 cases have been reported every year globally. Brazil, India and Indonesia still report more than 10,000 new cases, according to WHO data.
