Ancient American Communities Show Genetic Markers of Leprosy in Research by Scientists
Ancient Leprosy Discovered in Chile, Pushing Back Its Timeline in the Americas
In a groundbreaking discovery, scientists have found evidence of Mycobacterium lepromatosis, a rare strain of leprosy, in ancient human remains in Chile. This discovery, published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, challenges the assumption that leprosy was only introduced to the Americas during European colonization.
The earliest evidence of this disease comes from two nearly 4,000-year-old skeletons found in northern Chile. DNA extracted from their bones confirmed infection by M. lepromatosis, indicating the disease existed in the Americas independently of European contact.
Kirsten Bos, the study's leader at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, notes that it remains to be determined if the disease originated in the Americas or if it joined some of the first settlers from Eurasia.
The pathogen found in the ancient skeletons was of the M. lepromatosis form, not the more common M. leprae. This unexpected finding suggests that this rare strain of the disease was present in the Americas for millennia.
Darío Ramirez, a doctoral candidate who played a key role in the research, noted the initial skepticism surrounding the findings. However, the evidence is clear: leprosy was present in the Americas thousands of years before European colonization.
This discovery is a significant milestone in understanding the history of infectious diseases in pre-contact America. As additional genomes are discovered, scientists will be able to piece together a more comprehensive history of leprosy and other ancient diseases, shedding light on their origins, evolution, and spread.
Advanced techniques for studying ancient DNA now allow researchers to explore a wider range of diseases in ancient populations. This new capability allows scientists to identify pathogens that were previously unknown or overlooked in archaeological studies. By identifying M. lepromatosis in such ancient remains, researchers are now equipped to specifically search for the disease in other archaeological sites.
This discovery opens new avenues for exploring the geographical and temporal spread of Hansen's Disease across the globe. The study's results show that the disease was present in the Americas thousands of years ago, opening new avenues for exploring its spread and evolution.
| Aspect | Details | |------------------------|--------------------------------------------| | Presence before Colonization | Confirmed via DNA in 4,000-year-old skeletons | | Location | Northern Chile | | Timeframe | Approximately 4,000 years ago | | First Discovery (modern) | Study published in August 2025 identifying the pathogen in ancient skeletons[1][5] |
[1] Bos, K. et al. (2025). Ancient DNA reveals the presence of Mycobacterium lepromatosis in pre-Columbian South America. Nature Ecology & Evolution.
[5] Ramirez, D. et al. (2025). Genetic signatures of leprosy in ancient human remains from Chile. Scientific Reports.
- This groundbreaking discovery of Mycobacterium lepromatosis in 4,000-year-old skeletons from northern Chile, as published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, underscores the presence of chronic diseases like leprosy in the health-and-wellness landscape of ancient America centuries before European colonization.
- The ancient evidence of leprosy, a serious medical-condition, points towards the need for a reevaluation of the historical timeline for the emergence and spread of chronic diseases, particularly in the context of science and the study of health-and-wellness in remote times.
