Oldest-known plague outbreak came 5,500 years ago in Siberia
Key takeaways
- These people became victims of the earliest-known plague outbreak, especially children and adolescents.
- Researchers said ancient DNA obtained from bodies interred in four burial sites in the area revealed the presence of the oldest-known strains of Yersinia pestis, the plague bacterium.
- They also said the discovery adds to evidence that marmots were the bacterium’s original host species, and that plague arose in central or northeastern Asia before spreading across Eurasia.
Why this matters: local context for readers following news across Pakistan and the region.
Add ARY News on Google AAResize About 5,500 years ago, bands of hunter-gatherers inhabited the Lake Baikal region in Siberia, sustained by rich resources including prey such as elk, deer, moose, fish, seals and rodents called marmots. These people became victims of the earliest-known plague outbreak, especially children and adolescents.
Researchers said ancient DNA obtained from bodies interred in four burial sites in the area revealed the presence of the oldest-known strains of Yersinia pestis, the plague bacterium. These prehistoric deaths presaged the immense suffering that this pathogen has visited on humankind over the millennia.
The researchers said the outbreak was particularly deadly for the young, judging from the burial sites, and attributed this to genetic traits in these strains that no longer are present in today’s iteration of the pathogen. They also said the discovery adds to evidence that marmots were the bacterium’s original host species, and that plague arose in central or northeastern Asia before spreading across Eurasia.