University College Dublin researchers find ancient virus DNA in medieval manuscripts

An international research team led by University College Dublin has discovered that medieval manuscripts serve as biological archives, preserving the DNA of the sheeppox virus (SPPV). By extracting genetic material from the animal skins used to create parchment, scientists have reconstructed a 3,500-year history of the highly contagious disease.

The study, published in Science Advances, analyzed various historical documents, including the 1,000-year-old York Gospels and the Corpus Dictionary at Corpus Christi College. Researchers found that in several instances, multiple pages of the same manuscript contained the virus DNA, indicating that infected animals were used to produce the parchment.

By combining findings from these manuscripts with DNA extracted from Bronze Age sheep teeth, the team determined that the virus has been threatening Eurasian sheep herds for at least 3,700 years. While the disease causes high mortality rates and significant economic losses in livestock through reduced milk, wool, and meat yields, there is currently no evidence that it infects humans.