Ancient American Roots of Syphilis Traced Through 5,500-Year-Old Genome
Syphilis Roots Traced to Ancient Americas
Ancient DNA from a 5,500-year-old skeleton in a Colombian rock shelter has upended long-held beliefs about syphilis origins. Extracted from a middle-aged hunter-gatherer's shin bone at Tequendama I, the Treponema pallidum genome, dubbed TE1-3, proves this syphilis ancestor circulated in the Americas millennia before Christopher Columbus's voyages. Published in Science on January 22, the study by Davide Bozzi and colleagues reveals TE1-3 as a distinct lineage, diverging from modern strains around 13,700 years ago.[1][4]
Challenging the Columbus Myth
Historically, syphilis epidemics exploded in Europe post-1492, fueling the Columbian hypothesis that it crossed from the Americas. Yet this genome pushes evidence back over 3,000 years, confirming treponemal diseases like syphilis, yaws, and bejel thrived among pre-agricultural hunter-gatherers. No skeletal lesions appeared on the remains, hinting at subtle infections without visible scars. Earlier finds in Brazil and Chile support a deep American history.[2][3]
Implications for Disease History
Anthropologists Molly Zuckerman and Lydia Bailey note this shifts paradigms beyond simplistic geographic blame, aiding modern syphilis resurgence strategies. As cases climb globally, tracing ancient genomes illuminates pathogen evolution, from non-sexual transmission in early Americas to Europe's stigmatized venereal form. This discovery enriches our understanding of infectious diseases in human history.[1][2]
