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Genetic research on Yersinia pestis evolution

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2026-09-30 02:49 UTC → 2026-09-30 15:43 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Genetic research into the bacterium Yersinia pestis is providing new insights into why the Black Death and subsequent outbreaks recurred for centuries following the initial 14th-century pandemic in Europe and Eurasia. An international research team, led by scientists from the University of Tartu, analyzed 26 genomes from 11 archaeological sites across Estonia, Russia, England, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. By combining radiocarbon dating with genetic chronologies and historical records, researchers reconstructed the pathogen’s evolution. The ~~study~~ study, published in PNAS, refined the dating for a total of 75 plague genomes. The research indicates a major diversification of genetic lineages between 1450 and 1500. This suggests the bacteria could persist in environments among rodents and their parasites, creating new disease reservoirs that allowed the plague to periodically re-emerge in human populations until the 18th century. Scientists suggest the spread of the disease was likely influenced by environmental changes, such as droughts, and large-scale population movements.

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