14 DAY TRIAL // A careful analysis of ancient bones, conducted by two teams of investigators in the United States, reveals that the infectious disease known as brucellosis was prevalent even a very long time ago, at least as far back as the Middle Ages.
In a paper they published in the latest issue of the American Journal of Physical Anthropology, researchers at the Michigan State University say that they analyzed a medieval burial site in Albania, while at the same time conducting DNA analysis at a specialized lab, in East Lansing.
The Mediterranean region – and, to a lesser extent, other parts of the world – still suffer from brucellosis outbreaks. The disease mostly manifests itself through chronic respiratory illness and fever.
Finding the disease “was a combination of inquisitiveness, persistence and of course collaboration. It is amazing to find something brand new in something that is a thousand years old,” says MSU associate professor of anthropology, Todd Fenton.