Ancient DNA reveals how plague kept returning for 400 years after the Black Death
A genetic study of plague bacteria from archaeological remains reveals that the disease persisted in Europe for centuries after the Black Death by repeatedly re-emerging from various reservoirs. The findings suggest that climate factors and trade connections facilitated the spread of different bacterial lineages.
Why it matters
Understanding the historical persistence of the plague provides insights into how infectious diseases evolve and maintain themselves in the environment over long periods.
The Black Death is best known for the catastrophic wave of plague that swept through Europe between 1347 and 1353, killing millions of people. But the disease did not vanish once that initial disaster passed. Plague returned again and again for more than four centuries, repeatedly disrupting cities, economies, and societies across Europe and surrounding regions.
A study led by researchers at the University of Tartu is now offering a much more detailed look at what happened during those centuries. By analyzing DNA from the plague bacterium preserved in archaeological human remains, scientists were able to reconstruct how the disease spread, evolved, and repeatedly reappeared long after the Black Death.
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