Ancient Mummy Reveals Earliest Bubonic Plague Outside Eurasia

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Yersinia pestis DNA discovered in a 3,290-year-old Egyptian mummy provides the first molecular evidence of bubonic plague in Ancient Egypt and the oldest confirmed case outside Eurasia

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Researchers identified Y. pestis DNA in bone tissue and intestinal content, indicating the individual suffered an advanced stage of infection at death

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Radiocarbon dating places the mummy's age at the end of the Second Intermediate Period or the beginning of the New Kingdom, though its precise origin is unknown

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Shotgun metagenomics DNA testing was used to identify Y. pestis, making this the first prehistoric genome of the bacterium outside Eurasia

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Historical texts like the Ebers Papyrus described symptoms resembling plague, and flea evidence from Amarna supports potential transmission pathways

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The plague may have spread through Nile rats to black rats on ancient ships, as Y. pestis primarily transmits via flea bites with rodents as carriers

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The disease caused devastating symptoms, including swollen lymph nodes, fever, seizures, internal bleeding, and death in severe cases

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This finding may challenge previous research on the Silk Road's role in plague transmission and aids in tracing Y. pestis evolution across eras

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