Leprosy may have originated in Europe rather than Asia, according to the largest study to date on ancestral strains of the disease.
The study has revealed that more leprosy strains than expected were present in medieval Europe, prompting scientists to reconsider the origins and age of the devastating disease.
“For centuries there has been a question mark over where leprosy originated; most assumptions believing it started in China and the Far East,” said Helen Donoghue, a co-author of the latest work and scientist at University College London. “This latest research shows all the strains of the leprosy bacterium, were in fact present in medieval Europe, which strongly suggests leprosy originated much closer to home, possibly in the far south east of Europe, or western Asia.”
Leprosy is one of the oldest recorded and most stigmatised diseases in human history. It was prevalent in Europe until the 16th century and is still endemic in many countries, mainly in equatorial regions, with over 200,000 new cases reported annually.
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