Researchers have finally pinpointed the origin of the plague that killed millions in Europe, Asia and North Africa in the 14th century.
Despite years of research, it was not possible to find out how the plague, which caused one of the greatest disasters in human history, still continues in cities and societies.
However, according to a study by a research team from the University of Stirling in Scotland, the University of Tubingen and the Max Plank Institute in Germany, the plague originated in Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan, in the 1330s.
The team analyzed samples from teeth from the cemetery near Issyk Kul in Kyrgyzstan. After the discovery of the cemetery of 1338 and 1339, researches began in this area.
Researcher from the University of Tubingen, Dr. Maria Spyrou said DNA samples from seven skeletons were examined.
The reason for the analysis of the teeth is that they have many veins where they can reach the disease microbe that causes death and is transmitted through blood.
The three skeletons studied contained plague bacteria.
University of Stirling historian Dr. Philip Slavin said this discovery answers the biggest question in history.
However, the research sample is limited. University of Otago, New Zealand, who was not involved in the study. Michael Knapp notes that this finding is indeed valuable, but using data from different people, times and regions, it can be clarified what the result really means.
Research published in the journal NatureThe title is “The origin of the plague in Central Eurasia in the 14th century”.
What is bubonic plague?
The plague, which is deadly if left untreated, is caused by an animal bacterium called Yersinia pestis, which mostly lives on rodents.
Bubonic plague is the most common type of disease that is most contagious to humans.
It gets its name from the painful bub-shaped swellings that form in the lymph, groin and armpits of the infected person.
Between 2010 and 2015, 3,248 cases were reported worldwide, of which 584 died.
This disease was also called the “black death” in history. The reason for this was the gangrene-like darkening of the limbs.