The discovery of Mycobacterium lepromatosis indicates that leprosy existed in the Americas long before European explorers arrived, challenging previous historical assumptions about the disease.
Scientists have unveiled a significant finding regarding the history of leprosy in the Americas, suggesting that the disease was present long before the arrival of European explorers. Researchers from the Institut Pasteur in Paris, France, in collaboration with a U.S. university, have identified a second species of bacteria responsible for leprosy, known as Hansen’s disease.
Traditionally, it was believed that the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae was the sole cause of leprosy and that it was introduced to the Americas by early European settlers. However, the recent discovery of Mycobacterium lepromatosis challenges this narrative, indicating that a strain of the bacteria was already endemic to the continent prior to European contact.
Dr. Maria Lopopolo, the first author of the study and a researcher at the Laboratory of Microbial Paleogenomics at the Institut Pasteur, emphasized the importance of this finding. “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 collaboration with 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 subsequently in red squirrels in the British Isles in 2016. Researchers employed advanced genetic techniques to reconstruct the genomes of Mycobacterium lepromatosis from ancient individuals in Argentina and Canada.
The results revealed that the two strains from these different regions were closely related within the Mycobacterium genome family tree, suggesting that the bacteria spread rapidly across the continent. This finding confirms that Mycobacterium lepromatosis was already prevalent throughout North and South America.
In their research, the scientists worked closely with Indigenous communities, various international institutions, and archaeologists. They analyzed over 800 DNA samples from ancient human remains and recent medical cases exhibiting signs of leprosy.
Nicolás Rascovan, the lead author of the study at the Institut Pasteur, remarked on the implications of their findings, stating, “We are just beginning to uncover the diversity and global movements of this recently identified pathogen. This study allows us to hypothesize that there might be unknown animal reservoirs.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides information on leprosy, noting that the disease can affect the nerves, skin, and eyes of patients. Leprosy is treatable with antibiotics, and the CDC reports that up to 225 people in the U.S. and approximately 250,000 individuals worldwide contract Hansen’s disease each year.
This groundbreaking research not only alters the historical understanding of leprosy in the Americas but also opens new avenues for exploring the disease’s origins and its impact on Indigenous populations.
Source: Original article