Oldest DNA evidence of syphilis relative discovered in 2,000-year-old skeletons in Brazil

An array of human bones shown partially buried in the ground, with two bones highlighted in yellow.

People living on the coast of Brazil thousands of years ago carried the bacterium Treponema pallidum endemicum, a close relative of the microbe behind venereal syphilis, cutting-edge DNA research has revealed. The infection likely left the group with mouth sores and painful shins. 

Scientists found the microbe's DNA in 2,000-year-old human skeletons and used it to construct the oldest-known genome of a syphilis relative yet discovered. They reported their findings Wednesday (Jan. 24) in the journal Nature, and their discovery pushes back the origin of the microbe by more than 1,000 years.