Old teeth revealed the source of the Black Death epidemic

Researchers believe that the Black Death epidemic began in Kyrgyzstan, more than 600 years ago after killing people in Europe, Asia and North Africa.

 

Black Death is one of the most devastating human epidemics in the world, with figures claiming to have killed between 75 and 200 million people over the past seven years.

 

Read more about Black Death here and here too.  

 

Researchers at Stirling University in Scotland, in collaboration with those in Tubingen, have now measured the teeth extracted from a cemetery near Lake Issyk Kul in Kyrgyzstan - central Asia - and confirmed the site of the outbreak.

 

Various studies have been conducted on the origins of this epidemic known as Pestilence, Plague, and Great Mortality, but finding out where it started has been a challenge.

 

The researchers now believe that the results of tests performed on the teeth of those buried between the 14th century between the year 1338 and 1339, confirm that this was the beginning of the epidemic in Kyrgyzstan.

 

Dr Maria Spyrou, from the University of Tubingen, said their team studied the symptoms of teeth decay in the bodies of seven different people.

 

He explains that the focus on the teeth was due to the fact that Teeth have the ability to have blood samples that helps in the study to determine the cause of a person's death, and that in the teeth they examined three of them contained Yersinia pestis bacteria that cause Plague.

 

Stirling University historian Dr. Philip Slavin said that apart from seeing the beginning of the Black Death epidemic, they were also able to understand that it was spread by humans rather than mice as it used to be said.

 

The results were published in the journal Nature, entitled "The Origins of Black Death in the 14th Century in Eurasia."


Eurasia is used to identify Europe and Asia at the same time, which is where the origins of the epidemic have been traced, with data showing that between 2010 and 2015 its so-called "bubonic plague" affected 3248 people, killing 584 people.

 

The Black Death epidemic causes severe pain and certain parts of the body such as the fingers and toes appear to be inactive, and there is pus coming out of the body.

Old teeth revealed the source of the Black Death epidemic



Writer: Christian Mugisha 



FACT CHECK: At cnews44.blogpost.com, we strive for accuracy and objectivity. If you come across something that doesn’t look right, don’t hesitate to leave a comment below.
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