The tooth from a young woman who died in a Scandinavian leper colony in the 1300s has now provided key evidence for scientists studying the evolution of pathogens.
Leprosy, like tuberculosis and the plague, looms large in our history, even though it is no longer widespread in the Western world. Leprosy is an infection caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae, and the hallmarks of the disease include skin lesions, nerve and bone damage, and loss of sensation in limbs. Although the disease is actually not that contagious, those suffering from it were once quarantined to leper colonies.
Although it may sound like a disease of the past and treatments are now available for it, more than 200,000 cases are diagnosed every year, mostly in the developing world. In the southern United States, new cases are linked to exposure from armadillos, one of the few animals that can carry leprosy.
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Leprosy, like tuberculosis and the plague, looms large in our history, even though it is no longer widespread in the Western world. Leprosy is an infection caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae, and the hallmarks of the disease include skin lesions, nerve and bone damage, and loss of sensation in limbs. Although the disease is actually not that contagious, those suffering from it were once quarantined to leper colonies.
Although it may sound like a disease of the past and treatments are now available for it, more than 200,000 cases are diagnosed every year, mostly in the developing world. In the southern United States, new cases are linked to exposure from armadillos, one of the few animals that can carry leprosy.
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