A demographic history of the plague bacillus revealed through ancient Yersinia pestis genomes
Channel: Recording Archaeology
Date: 2017-02-01

One of the most devastating events in human history was the second plague pandemic, which began with the Black Death (1347- 1353). Sporadic outbreaks of plague continued in Europe until the 18th century, when the disease essentially disappeared. Initial sequencing of Yersinia pestis genomes from London victims of the second plague pandemic, identified the Black Death as the event that gave rise to most of the Y. pestis genetic diversity present around the world today. This result raised further interest regarding the relationship of this lineage to the ones associated with post-Black Death outbreaks, and to modern plague lineages. Recent climatic and ancient DNA studies have attempted to explore these relationships, although a clear consensus is still yet to be reached. Here, we present three historical Y. pestis genomes from the second plague pandemic in Spain, Russia and Germany. Our results provide support for low genetic diversity in the plague bacterium during the Black Death, followed by a subsequent eastward travel of lineages to later become the source for the worldwide third plague pandemic, which began during the 19th century in China. In addition, our data from a post-Black Death outbreak in Germany are best explained by the persistence of a European plague lineage that is now likely extinct.

Author - Spyrou, Maria, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany (Presenting author)
Co-author(s) - Tukhbatova, Rezeda, Laboratory of Paleoanthropology & Paleogenetics, Kazan Federal University, Russi, Kazan, Russian Federation
Co-author(s) - Feldman, Michal, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
Co-author(s) - Drath, Joanna, Department of Archeological Sciences, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
Co-author(s) - Kacki, Sacha, PACEA, CNRS Institute, Université de Bordeaux, Pessac, France
Co-author(s) - Beltr n de Heredia, Juila, Museu de Historia de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
Co-author(s) - Arnold, Susanne, State Office for Cultural Heritage Management Baden-Württemberg, Esslingen, Germany
Co-author(s) - Sitdikov, Airat, Institute of Archaeology named after A. Kh. Khalikov, Kazan, Russian Federation
Co-author(s) - Castex, Dominique, PACEA, CNRS Institute, Université de Bordeaux, Pessac, France
Co-author(s) - Wahl, Joachim, State Office for Cultural Heritage Management Baden-Württemberg,
Osteology, Konstanz, Germany
Co-author(s) - Galimzyanov, Ilgizar, Institute of Archaeology named after A. Kh. Khalikov, Kazan, Russian Federation
Co-author(s) - Nurgaliev, Danis, Institute of Geology and Petroleum Technologies,
Kazan Federal University, Kazan, Russian Federation
Co-author(s) - Herbig, Alexander, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
Co-author(s) - Bos, Kirsten, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
Co-author(s) - Krause, Johannes, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany