DNA testing on ancient skeleton reveals leprosy may have spread to Britain from Scandinavia
This article originally appeared on Culture24.
DNA testing on a skeleton discovered in Essex may prove leprosy first came to Britain from Scandinavia
The Great Chesterford skeletonThe international team, including archaeologists from the University of Southampton, University of Leiden and researchers from Historic England, say the bones of the man, who was probably in his 20s, show changes consistent with leprosy, such as narrowing of the toe bones and damage to the joints.
Using modern scientific techniques including DNA testing and isotopes from the man's teeth, the team confirmed that not only did he suffer from the disease, but he also probably came from southern Scandinavia.
Although leprosy is nowadays a tropical disease, in the past it occurred in Europe with human migrations probably helping to spread it. Previously most cases found in skeletons from western Europe dated from the 7th century AD onwards, but in this case it originates from a much earlier period - the 5th or 6th centuries AD.
As well as confirming the presence of the disease, the radiocarbon date of the skeleton makes it one of the earliest cases in the UK to have been successfully studied with modern biomolecular methods.
Foot bones of Great Chesterford skeleton“Some may leave no trace on the bones; others will affect bones in a similar way to other diseases. In these cases the only way to be sure is to use DNA fingerprinting, or other chemical markers characteristic of the leprosy bacillus."
Researchers tested the skeleton for bacterial DNA and lipid biomarkers to confirm their findings. They also carried out a detailed genetic study of the bacteria that caused his illness.
The results, which have been published in the journal PLOS ONE, showed the leprosy strain belonged to a lineage (3I) previously found in burials from Medieval Scandinavia and southern Britain. Identification of fatty molecules (lipids) from the leprosy bacteria confirmed the DNA results and also showed it was different from later strains.
Describing the findings as "exciting, both for archaeologists and for microbiologists”, project leader Dr Sarah Inskip, of the University of Leiden, said the research “helps us understand the spread of disease in the past, and also the evolution of different strains of disease, which might help us fight them in the future”.
“We plan to carry out similar studies on skeletons from different locations to build up a more complete picture of the origins and early spread of this disease," she added.
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