Mass burial genomics reveals outbreak of enteric paratyphoid fever in the Late Medieval trade city Lübeck
Magdalena Haller-Caskie, Kimberly Callan, Julian Susat, Anna Lena Flux, Alexander Immel, André Franke, Alexander Herbig, Johannes Krause, Anne Kupczok, Gerhard Fouquet, Susanne Hummel, Dirk Rieger, Almut Nebel, Ben Krause‐Kyora
Abstract
. Paratyphi C genomes showed close similarity to a strain from Norway (1200 CE). Radiocarbon dates placed the disease outbreak in Lübeck between 1270 and 1400 cal CE, with historical records indicating 1367 CE as the most probable year. The deceased were of northern and eastern European descent, confirming Lübeck as an important trading center of the Hanseatic League in the Baltic region.
Topics & Concepts
OutbreakParatyphoid feverTyphoid feverVirologyInfectious disease (medical specialty)Salmonella entericaAncient DNABiologySalmonellaMedicineDiseaseEnvironmental healthGeneticsPopulationBacteriaPathologySalmonella and Campylobacter epidemiologyYersinia bacterium, plague, ectoparasites researchBacillus and Francisella bacterial research