The Black Plague, along with two other major plagues that decimated Europe, appears to have its roots in China. This is based on the genetic research done on the bacterium known as the Yersinia pestis. A team of biologists led by Barbara Bramanti of the Institut Pasteur in Paris and Stephanie Haensch of Johannes Gutenberg University in Germany analyzed DNA and proteins from plague pits, which were the burial grounds across Europe which held the dead. They wrote in the journal PLoS Pathogens that their findings “put beyond doubt” that the Black Death was brought about by Yersinia pestis. This bacterium hosts on species of rodent such as marmots and voles, which are found throughout China.
The first major plague (the Justinian Plague) occurred during the 6th century in Constantinople and came from grain ships from Egypt, killing up to half of the population of Europe. The second plague was the Black Plague which began in Europe in 1347 and killed about 30 percent or more of the population of Europe. For centuries it would appear every 10 years or so, and its last major outbreak occurred in London from 1665 to 1666. The last plague was in the Yunnan province of China in 1894, where it spread to Hong Kong and eventually United States, appearing in Hawaii and then San Francisco in 1900.
These three plagues have been tied together into a ‘family tree’ by looking at genetic variations in living strains of Yersinia pestis. This tree was created by Dr. Achtman of University College Cork in Ireland and his team. By counting the number of genetic changes (which occur fairly steadily), they “dated the branch points of the tree, which enables the major branches to be correlated with historical events”. They conclude that all three of the plagues originated in China, where the ‘root’ of their tree is positioned. It is speculated that the plagues would have reached Europe across the Silk Road, spreading to the different areas of Europe and beginning several epidemics.
Yersinia pestis:
I thought this was incredibly interesting. It's first cool to see that DNA can last so long, and not only in this study but studies that might involve neanderthal remains where they extract DNA: that's a long time for DNA to last as well.
ReplyDeleteIt's also interesting to know that the plague is not dependent on how many people are in a given area, nor does it actively seek out human victims, but it a by product of humans living in close quarters to animals.
It's weird to think that the bacteria that caused all the world's major plagues are still alive and well. This idea brings to mind a quote from the TV show The Office:
When Dwight is arriving at Phyllis' wedding he says, "Why are all these people here? There are too many people on this Earth. We need a new plague. Who are all these people?" Maybe his wishes will come true one day if this bacteria gets around again??
I found this article so interesting because I've always had an interest in the plagues from those times, considering they wiped out entire populations. And it's so surreal knowing that the Yersinia pestis caused more than just one plague, especially within time spams.
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