New research indicates that leprosy existed in the Americas long before European explorers arrived, challenging previous assumptions about the disease’s history.
A recent study has revealed that the bacterium Mycobacterium lepromatosis was present in the Americas long before the arrival of European explorers, fundamentally altering the historical understanding of leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease.
Researchers from the Institut Pasteur in Paris, France, in collaboration with a U.S. university, have announced the discovery of a second species of bacteria responsible for leprosy in the Americas. Historically, it was believed that the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae was the sole cause of the disease and that it was introduced to the continent by early European settlers. However, this new finding suggests that an existing strain of leprosy was already endemic among Indigenous populations in the New World.
Dr. Maria Lopopolo, the first author of the study and a researcher at the Laboratory of Microbial Paleogenomics at the Institut Pasteur, emphasized the significance of this discovery. “This discovery transforms our understanding of the history of leprosy in America. It shows that a form of the disease was already endemic among Indigenous populations well before the Europeans arrived,” she stated in a news release.
The study, which involved scientists from the Laboratory of Microbial Paleogenomics at the Institut Pasteur, the French National Center for Scientific Research, and the University of Colorado, was initiated after Mycobacterium lepromatosis was identified in a Mexican patient in 2008 and in red squirrels in the British Isles in 2016. By employing advanced genetic techniques, researchers reconstructed the genomes of Mycobacterium lepromatosis from ancient individuals in Argentina and Canada.
The findings revealed that the two strains of the bacterium from different regions were genetically similar, indicating that the bacteria spread rapidly across the continent. The results confirmed that Mycobacterium lepromatosis had already established itself throughout North and South America prior to European contact.
Collaboration was key to this research, as scientists worked alongside Indigenous communities, various international institutions, and archaeologists. They analyzed over 800 DNA samples from ancient human remains and recent medical cases that exhibited signs of leprosy.
Nicolás Rascovan, the lead author of the study at the Institut Pasteur, noted the broader implications of their findings. “We are just beginning to uncover the diversity and global movements of this recently identified pathogen,” he said. “This study allows us to hypothesize that there might be unknown animal reservoirs.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that leprosy can affect the nerves, skin, and eyes of patients, but it is treatable with antibiotics. Currently, there are up to 225 reported cases in the U.S. and approximately 250,000 cases worldwide, according to the CDC.
This groundbreaking research not only reshapes the narrative surrounding leprosy in the Americas but also opens the door for further exploration into the disease’s origins and its impact on Indigenous populations long before European contact.
According to Fox News, this study highlights the importance of understanding the historical context of diseases and their effects on different populations.