Ancient DNA Uncovers Syphilis-Linked Bacteria in Americas 3,000 Years Earlier Than Thought
BOGOTÁ, Colombia — A groundbreaking study has pushed back the known history of syphilis-related bacteria in the Americas by thousands of years, revealing that the pathogen existed some 3,000 years earlier than previously documented. Researchers analyzing ancient DNA extracted from human remains dating back 5,500 years in the Sabana de Bogotá region have identified the genome of Treponema pallidum, the bacterium responsible for syphilis and related treponemal diseases.
The findings, published recently in the journal Science, emerged from an unexpected source: a shinbone of an ancient skeleton that showed no visible signs of infection. Traditionally, pathogen DNA is recovered from teeth or bones with clear disease markers, but this innovative approach allowed scientists to reconstruct the bacterium’s genome from more subtle remnants.
“The approach paid off, suggesting that even bones without visible signs of disease could be valuable sources of pathogen DNA,” the research team noted in a press release. This discovery challenges longstanding assumptions about the timeline of syphilis in the Americas, which had been thought to have arrived only after European contact in the late 15th century.
Syphilis, caused by Treponema pallidum, is a sexually transmitted infection that has historically been a major public health concern worldwide. The bacterium also causes other treponemal diseases such as yaws and bejel, which affect skin and bones. The new evidence indicates that these bacteria were circulating in pre-Columbian populations in South America millennia before Christopher Columbus’s voyages.
The research was conducted by a multidisciplinary team of archaeologists, geneticists, and microbiologists who collaborated to extract and analyze ancient DNA from skeletal remains found in Colombia’s high-altitude plateau. The Sabana de Bogotá site has been a rich source of archaeological material, providing insights into early human settlements in the region.
Experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention emphasize the importance of understanding syphilis’s origins to better grasp its evolution and impact on human populations. This study not only rewrites the history of the disease in the Americas but also highlights the value of ancient DNA in uncovering hidden aspects of infectious diseases.
Further research is expected to explore how these ancient strains relate to modern variants and to investigate the broader implications for the spread of treponemal diseases globally. The findings underscore the complex interactions between humans and pathogens over thousands of years and provide a new perspective on the pre-Columbian health landscape.
For more information on syphilis and related diseases, the National Institutes of Health offers extensive resources on infectious disease research and prevention strategies. Meanwhile, the National Park Service continues to support archaeological efforts that shed light on ancient human history and health.
This discovery marks a significant milestone in understanding the deep history of infectious diseases and demonstrates how modern scientific techniques can illuminate the distant past.
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