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A draft genome of Yersinia pestis from victims of the Black Death

Author

Listed:
  • Kirsten I. Bos

    (McMaster Ancient DNA Centre, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West)

  • Verena J. Schuenemann

    (Institute for Archaeological Sciences, Rümelinstr. 23, University of Tübingen)

  • G. Brian Golding

    (McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West)

  • Hernán A. Burbano

    (Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology)

  • Nicholas Waglechner

    (Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West)

  • Brian K. Coombes

    (Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West)

  • Joseph B. McPhee

    (Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West)

  • Sharon N. DeWitte

    (University of South Carolina
    University of South Carolina)

  • Matthias Meyer

    (Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology)

  • Sarah Schmedes

    (Institute of Applied Genetics, University of North Texas Health Science Center, 3500 Camp Bowie Boulevard)

  • James Wood

    (Pennsylvania State University, University Park)

  • David J. D. Earn

    (Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West
    1280 Main Street West)

  • D. Ann Herring

    (McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West)

  • Peter Bauer

    (Medical Faculty, University of Tübingen)

  • Hendrik N. Poinar

    (McMaster Ancient DNA Centre, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West
    McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West
    Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West)

  • Johannes Krause

    (Institute for Archaeological Sciences, Rümelinstr. 23, University of Tübingen
    Medical Faculty, University of Tübingen)

Abstract

Reconstruction of Black Death genome The latest DNA recovery and sequencing technologies have been used to reconstruct the genome of the Yersinia pestis bacterium responsible for the Black Death pandemic of bubonic plague that spread across Europe in the fourteenth century. The genome was pieced together from total DNA extracted from the skeletal remains of four individuals excavated from a large cemetery on the site of the Royal Mint in East Smithfield in London, where more than 2,000 plague victims were buried in 1348 and 1349. The draft genome sequence does not differ substantially from modern Y. pestis strains, providing no answer to the question of why the Black Death was more deadly than modern bubonic plague outbreaks.

Suggested Citation

  • Kirsten I. Bos & Verena J. Schuenemann & G. Brian Golding & Hernán A. Burbano & Nicholas Waglechner & Brian K. Coombes & Joseph B. McPhee & Sharon N. DeWitte & Matthias Meyer & Sarah Schmedes & James , 2011. "A draft genome of Yersinia pestis from victims of the Black Death," Nature, Nature, vol. 478(7370), pages 506-510, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:478:y:2011:i:7370:d:10.1038_nature10549
    DOI: 10.1038/nature10549
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Karlsson, Martin & Nilsson, Therese & Pichler, Stefan, 2012. "What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger? The Impact of the 1918 Spanish Flu Epidemic on Economic Performance in Sweden," Working Paper Series 911, Research Institute of Industrial Economics.
    2. Madsen, Jakob B. & Robertson, Peter E. & Ye, Longfeng, 2024. "Lives versus livelihoods in the middle ages: The impact of the plague on trade over 400 years," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    3. Remi Jedwab & Noel D. Johnson & Mark Koyama, 2022. "The Economic Impact of the Black Death," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 60(1), pages 132-178, March.
    4. Pierre Galanaud & Anne Galanaud & Patrick Giraudoux & Henri Labesse, 2020. "Mortality and demographic recovery in early post-black death epidemics: Role of recent emigrants in medieval Dijon," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(1), pages 1-20, January.
    5. Karlsson, Martin & Nilsson, Therese & Pichler, Stefan, 2014. "The impact of the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic on economic performance in Sweden," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 1-19.
    6. Roy C. Sidle, 2020. "Dark Clouds over the Silk Road: Challenges Facing Mountain Environments in Central Asia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-11, November.
    7. Koyama, Mark & Jedwab, Remi & Johnson, Noel, 2019. "Pandemics, Places, and Populations: Evidence from the Black Death," CEPR Discussion Papers 13523, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    8. Caitlin S Pepperell & Amanda M Casto & Andrew Kitchen & Julie M Granka & Omar E Cornejo & Eddie C Holmes & Bruce Birren & James Galagan & Marcus W Feldman, 2013. "The Role of Selection in Shaping Diversity of Natural M. tuberculosis Populations," PLOS Pathogens, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(8), pages 1-14, August.
    9. Pierre Galanaud & Anne Galanaud & Patrick Giraudoux, 2015. "Historical Epidemics Cartography Generated by Spatial Analysis: Mapping the Heterogeneity of Three Medieval "Plagues" in Dijon," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(12), pages 1-24, December.
    10. Harold P. Hodgins & Pengsheng Chen & Briallen Lobb & Xin Wei & Benjamin J. M. Tremblay & Michael J. Mansfield & Victoria C. Y. Lee & Pyung-Gang Lee & Jeffrey Coffin & Ana T. Duggan & Alexis E. Dolphin, 2023. "Ancient Clostridium DNA and variants of tetanus neurotoxins associated with human archaeological remains," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-15, December.

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