Diagnosing plague in 17th century camelids from Romania along historical Silk Routes
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Six camels exhumed from a 17th-century Silk Route site in Romania, along with negative controls, were blindly investigated via dental pulp paleometagenomics and paleoproteomics for traces of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis complex including the plague agent Yersinia pestis . Specific reads were detected in sample R04 (one read) and R05 (two reads) which also yielded a 16S rRNA guanine transferase specific for Y. pestis and one other Y. pseudotuberculosis complex peptide. Taken together, these validated data diagnosed plague in these ancient camels which likely participated in plague dissemination along ancient Silk Routes during the large Medieval and Modern Times pandemic in Europe. • Yersinia pestis caused plague in seventeenth century camels along the Silk Routes. • Camels participated to disseminating plague along the historical Silk Routes. • Camels are still a source for zoonotic plague in some populations.
Source: Infection Genetics and Evolution
Institutions: Aix-Marseille Université, Méditerranée Infection Foundation, Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives, Université Paris-Saclay, Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement, CEA Paris-Saclay, Médicaments et Technologies pour la Santé, Romanian Academy, University of Bucharest
Language: English
Subfield: Genetics
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,730
OpenAlex ID: W4413971280