A European epidemic of TB two centuries ago was caused by a cocktail of infections that overwhelmed victims, researchers have revealed.
One victim was infected with three different strains of the organism while in total at least 14 different genetic versions of the disease were circulating, according to the new findings.
The findings come from a study of naturally mummified bodies found in an 18th century crypt in Hungary.
The research team, led by Warwick Medical School, UK, studied eight bodies and found that five victims had been infected by more than one type of TB.
Researcher Professor Mark Pallen said modern patients infected with the disease usually only succumb to one strain.
The findings were published last night in the journal Nature Communications and involved an international team also involving the Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest.
The researchers say they have been able to date the different strains as emerging during the late Roman period – in about 400 AD.
Professor Pallen said: “By showing that historical strains can be accurately mapped to contemporary lineages, we have ruled out, for early modern Europe, the kind of scenario recently proposed for the Americas—that is wholesale replacement of one major lineage by another—and have confirmed the genotypic continuity of an infection that has ravaged the heart of Europe since prehistoric times.”
Nature Communications 7 April 2015
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