Ancient genomes reveal a deep history of Treponema pallidum in the Americas
(2024)
Journal Article
Barquera, R., Sitter, T. L., Kirkpatrick, C. L., Ramirez, D. A., Kocher, A., Spyrou, M. A., Couoh, L. R., Talavera-González, J. A., Castro, M., von Hunnius, T., Guevara, E. K., Hamilton, W. D., Roberts, P., Scott, E., Fabra, M., Da Peña, G. V., Pacheco, A., Rodriguez, M., Aspillaga, E., Tiliakou, A., …Bos, K. I. (2025). Ancient genomes reveal a deep history of Treponema pallidum in the Americas. Nature, 640, 186-193. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08515-5
Human treponemal infections are caused by a family of closely related Treponema pallidum that give rise to the diseases yaws, bejel, pinta and, most notably, syphilis1. Debates on a common origin for these pathogens and the history of syphilis itself... Read More about Ancient genomes reveal a deep history of Treponema pallidum in the Americas.