Ancient DNA traces plague’s return to Europe for 400 years
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Researchers at the University of Tartu analyzed ancient DNA from human remains across Europe, in Estonia, Russia, England, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, to understand how plague persisted long after the Black Death.
Between the fourteenth and eighteenth centuries, the bacterium Yersinia pestis repeatedly resurfaced, evolving into new forms and spreading through trade, war, and migration. The team reconstructed 26 plague genomes and developed a new method to more accurately date ancient samples, linking them to historical outbreaks.
The study revealed that plague didn’t simply linger in one location, but instead reappeared in multiple areas, potentially creating several lasting reservoirs of the disease. Estonia experienced repeated plague introductions. Around 1450-1500, plague lineages expanded, possibly establishing new hosts in wild rodent populations, a process potentially influenced by climate shifts like the Great Renaissance Drought. Human activity clearly drove the spread of plague.
The genetic data connects outbreaks to the Thirty Years’ War and the Great Northern War, as armies and displaced people carried the disease along their routes. During the 1710 siege of Tallinn, for example, plague killed soldiers and civilians. Scientists believe that understanding how plague persisted after the Black Death can inform modern disease surveillance and management.
