The cemetery, located in Italy's Tuscany region, is believed to hold clues about the bacterium that causes cholera

Feb 18, 2015 09:37 GMT  ·  By
Scientists wish to dig out cholera from centuries-old cemetery in Italy
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   Scientists wish to dig out cholera from centuries-old cemetery in Italy

Most of the time, researchers exploring one archaeological site or another hope to find artifacts and bones, maybe an entire ancient monument. Ohio State University anthropologist Clark Spencer and his colleagues, however, have their eyes set on a whole other prize.

In a nutshell, these researchers are now excavating a centuries-old graveyard in Italy's Tuscany region hoping to dig out cholera. More precisely, the scientists are looking to recover ancient strains of the cholera bacterium from the bodies of the people laid to rest in this cemetery.

Why would anyone go searching for cholera?

For those unaware, cholera is basically an infection of the small intestine. The disease is caused by a bacterium known to the scientific community as Vibrio cholerae, and its symptoms include vomiting and diarrhea. In extreme cases, it can leave people severely dehydrated.

Otherwise put, Vibrio cholerae is not something anybody in their right mind would knowingly and willingly go looking for. Why is it then that Clark Spencer and fellow researchers are digging out an entire cemetery hoping to find centuries-old strains of this bacterium?

Speaking at a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science held in the city of San Jose in California, US, this past February 15, the Ohio State University specialist explained that he and his team are looking for ancient cholera bacterium strains because they want to pave the way for the discovery of a cure for this disease.

The idea is that, by finding old strains of Vibrio cholerae and comparing them to present-day forms of this bacterium, they will manage to gain a better understanding of how this microorganism has evolved over the centuries. This should make it easier to develop a cure for the disease it causes.

“If we found the DNA we could see how cholera has evolved and compare it to what the bacteria is like today,” researcher Clark Spencer said in a statement, as cited by Live Science. “That’s the first step to possibly finding a cure,” the Ohio State University scientist further explained.

Why explore this cemetery in Italy and not some other one?

As mentioned, the centuries-old graveyard that Clark Spencer and his team are now busy exploring is located in Italy's Tuscany region. Specifically, it sits next to an abandoned church that goes by the name of Badia Pozzeveri, the researchers detail.

The reason the scientists chose to explore this one graveyard and not another is that, according to historical documents, the site holds the bodies of several of the people killed by the cholera epidemic that hit the world back in the 1850s.

What's more, the bodies are all incredibly well preserved, seeing how they were covered in lime when buried. No, not lime as in the fruit that makes all cocktails taste better. Lime as in the calcium-rich inorganic material now widely used in construction and engineering.

When the cholera victims were laid to rest in this cemetery in Italy, lime was poured over them to keep the disease from spreading. As it turns out, the material did more than just help contain the epidemic. Long story short, it trapped soil around the bodies of the people killed by cholera.

Because of this, researcher Clark Spencer and his colleagues are confident that they will eventually manage to recover DNA samples originating from ancient cholera bacterium strains from the dirt surrounding the corpses of the cholera victims buried in this graveyard in Italy.

Although they got to work exploring this site back in 2010 and have so far unearthed a couple dozen skeletons, the scientists have not yet managed to zoom in on cholera bacterium DNA. However, they say that they are convinced that it is only a matter of time until they find what they are searching for.

The researchers have so far unearthed a couple dozen skeletons
The researchers have so far unearthed a couple dozen skeletons

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Scientists wish to dig out cholera from centuries-old cemetery in Italy
The researchers have so far unearthed a couple dozen skeletons
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