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LiveScience
LiveScience
Jennifer Nalewicki

Could bacteria or viruses lurking in ancient Egyptian mummies unleash a plague today?

An ancient Egyptian mummy .

The ancient Egyptians were no strangers to illness, with research showing that they were affected by a host of infectious diseases, including smallpox, tuberculosis and leprosy.

For instance, Ramesses V, the fourth pharaoh of Egypt's 20th dynasty, contracted smallpox, which is evidenced by telltale smallpox scars pockmarking his mummified body. 

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