The capital of Egypt around 1500 B.C., Thebes hosts a huge necropolis, which mostly contains the remains of upper class ancient Egyptians. "Both infected mummies were adults and had some mild signs of chronic anemia. Unfortunately, no further information is available since they came from 'no name burials.' However, the location of their tombs in the necropolis strongly suggests that they were of high class local descent," Nerlich said. The wealth of these people did not provide them with protection against diseases. In a previous study, Nerlich and colleagues discovered that most people buried at the site died between the ages of 20 and 30. "Our discovery adds another infectious disease to the spectrum of paleomicrobiology in ancient Egypt, further explaining the influence of infectious diseases on such low life expectancy," Nerlich said. The ancient scourge, which has shaped history by decimating invading armies and making villages in the grip of the fever hard to colonize, still plagues humanity. Today the disease kills between one and three million people, most of whom live in the world's poorest countries. Nerlich and colleagues believe that their work in identifying one of the earliest forms of the disease may help develop new treatments. "We are now hopeful we can identify the 'precursor' of malaria pathogens," Nerlich said. According to anatomist and paleopathologist Frank Rühli, head of the Swiss Mummy Project at the University of Zurich, the discovery is important because it is "based on reliable molecular detection of pathogen ancient DNA." "This study adds new insights into the evolutionary prevalence of a disease which still kills millions of people worldwide. It also highlights again the enormous importance of ancient mummy research for modern clinical medicine," Rühli told Discovery News. Related Links: |
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