Medieval Manuscripts Reveal Sheeppox Virus History
Researchers have extracted and sequenced sheeppox virus DNA from medieval manuscripts. The findings provide new insights into the virus's 3,500-year evolution.
Scientists have successfully extracted and sequenced sheeppox virus DNA preserved in animal skins used for medieval manuscript parchment. The study, published in Science Advances, offers new insights into the virus's evolution over the past 3,500 years.
Sheeppox is a highly contagious and often fatal viral disease that was largely eradicated from European livestock in the 20th century. However, occasional regional outbreaks still occur, such as one in Greece last year. The research demonstrates that genetic traces of the virus can be found within historical documents.
"The recording of ancient DNA of pathogens has completely changed our understanding of infectious disease in the past," said co-author Louis L’Hôte. "These genomes help us understand how these pathogens evolved and how they impacted past societies."
The earliest known written evidence of sheeppox infection dates to the first century CE, when Roman accounts described outbreaks of skin lesions in animals. Mentions of deadly outbreaks of "pockes" or "variola" in sheep became more frequent during the Middle Ages, recorded in various agricultural and accounting texts in France, Spain, and England. Outbreaks appeared to decline in 17th-century France but re-emerged frequently in the 18th and 19th centuries with high mortality rates.