Study finds 9,000-year-old remains in Americas hold genomes of bacteria family that causes disease
After the French king Charles VIII invaded Italy in 1494, an unknown and disfiguring disease erupted in the army camps and duly spread acrossThe epidemic is regarded as the first historical account of syphilis, but where the disease came from has been debated by scholars ever since. One camp believes it emerged in the, and was brought to Europe by Columbus in 1493. Another suspects it was lurking in Europe before the explorer set sail.
Syphilis is part of a small family of diseases that includes yaws and bejel. While syphilis is found around the world, yaws and bejel are neglected tropical diseases seen mostly in equatorial regions.
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