Scientists have discovered genetic evidence of smallpox from the 17th-century mummy found under Lithuanian church. The mummified child shows the oldest version of variola virus and suggests that the known smallpox timeline is incorrect.
Smallpox Latest News: 17th Century Mummy Found Beneath Lithuanian Church
Lithuanian Mummy Project collaboration has found a 17th-century mummy in 2015 buried beneath the Dominican Church of the Holy Spirit in Vilnius. The mummy is a child between 2 to 4 years old who has a radiocarbon dating that is between 1643 and 1665. This 17th-century mummified child could change the history of smallpox as it possesses DNA that indicates the presence of variola virus, the causative agent of smallpox.
Smallpox Update: Mummified Child's DNA Yields Oldest Version Of Smallpox
According to CNET, the 17th-century mummified child does not show pockmarked scarring and other visual signs of smallpox. However, its cold, hard DNA provides the first conclusive evidence of smallpox existence earlier than its first record on the timeline.
According to the Voice of America, Canadian and Australian researchers have taken samples of the mummified child's skin and reconstructed its decomposing DNA. The researchers compared the DNA to the different versions of variola virus genome that were discovered from the mid-1900s, late 1970s and until its successful eradication in the 20th century. Studies show that they all share a common viral ancestor that dates back to 1588 to 1645. After several tests, scientists have found out that the 17th-century mummified child shows a complete genome of the variola virus that is the oldest version of smallpox strain.
Smallpox Update: Variola Vaccine Separated Variola Into Two Strains
Researchers think that the Edward Jenner's variola vaccine has pressured the smallpox virus. This has led it to mutate and separate into two strains, the variola major and the variola minor. Henrik Poinar, the director of McMaster University's Ancient DNA Centre, has added that the branching of strains happened when the smallpox is spreading around the world during the period of human exploration, migration, and colonization.
Smallpox Update: Research Suggests Incorrect Smallpox Timeline
The oldest version of smallpox from the 17th-century mummified child has been found out to be the most closely related to the variola virus found in camels and gerbils. Ana Duggan, a researcher at McMaster University Ancient DNA Center and primary author of a new research journal at Current Biology, has said that their findings suggest that the known smallpox timeline might be incorrect.
