Ancient Genomes Provide Insight Into the Genetic History of the Second Plague Pandemic
5th October 2019
An international team of researchers has analyzed remains from 10 archaeological sites in England, France, Germany, Russia and Switzerland to gain insight into the stages of the second plague pandemic (14th-18th centuries) and the genetic diversity of Yersinia pestis during and after the Black Death. In a study published in Nature Communications, the researchers reconstructed 34 Y. pestis genomes, tracing the genetic history of the bacterium, which revealed key insights into the initiation and progression of the second plague pandemic in Europe.