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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Science
Ian Sample Science editor

Ancient bones shed new light on debate over origins of syphilis

Americas Bacteria Columbus Disease
Two pock-marked bones
An upper hip bone that yielded traces of bacteria from the family that causes syphilis. Photograph: Darío Ramirez

After the French king Charles VIII invaded Italy in 1494, an unknown and disfiguring disease erupted in the army camps and duly spread across Europe when the men returned to their homelands the following year.

The epidemic is regarded as the first historical account of syphilis, but where the disease came from has been debated by scholars ever since. One camp believes it emerged in the Americas, and was brought to Europe by Columbus in 1493. Another suspects it was lurking in Europe before the explorer set sail.

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