Ancient Disease Traces Found in 1,000-Year-Old Religious Text
Researchers discovered DNA of the sheep pox virus in the parchment of the York Gospels, revealing the pathogen's long history.
Scientists have discovered genetic traces of an ancient disease within the pages of a 1,000-year-old religious text, the York Gospels. The discovery, announced by University College Dublin (UCD), highlights the longevity of the sheep pox virus, which has plagued livestock for over 3,700 years.
In a study published in Science Advances, researchers used ancient DNA preserved in manuscripts and animal remains to trace the evolution of the sheep pox virus. The highly contagious disease affects sheep and goats but does not infect humans. Its DNA was detected by UCD researchers in the animal skins used to create the parchment of the York Gospels.
The York Gospels were created in Canterbury by Anglo-Saxon scribes in the late 900s and have been housed at York Minster for centuries. The unexpected finding of sheep pox virus DNA on parchment made from calfskin and goatskin suggests either cross-species infections or contamination during the parchment-making process.
By comparing the genetic material from the manuscripts with DNA recovered from Bronze Age sheep teeth, the scientists determined that sheep pox has been a threat to livestock for more than 3,700 years. UCD described the York Gospels as a "biological time capsule" that preserved evidence of the virus.
Sheep pox can spread rapidly through flocks and is particularly dangerous for young animals. Outbreaks can significantly impact productivity by reducing wool, meat, and milk yields. The disease remains a threat today, with outbreaks causing economic damage in various parts of the world.
Louis L’Hôte, the study's lead author and a Ph.D. candidate at UCD, stated that the discovery demonstrates parchment's ability to preserve animal pathogen DNA for centuries. He suggested that archives and libraries globally might contain similar genetic evidence of past animal disease outbreaks. Understanding the evolution of pathogens like the sheep pox virus through ancient DNA analysis could aid in developing strategies for future eradication efforts.
L’Hôte noted that the sheep pox virus genome has remained relatively stable over millennia, unlike the smallpox virus. This stability suggests that early genetic changes were crucial to its host adaptation and could offer insights for combating the pathogen.
This finding is part of a broader trend of ancient DNA discoveries shedding light on historical diseases. Similar research has uncovered smallpox DNA in centuries-old Chilean mummies and identified malaria as the cause of death for a 16th-century Italian ruler.