Plague repeatedly returned to Europe for more than 350 years after the Black Death, according to an analysis of ancient DNA from Yersinia pestis, the bacterium responsible for the disease.
Researchers from the University of Tartu, Estonia, and collaborating institutions analysed 26 new Y. pestis genomes from 11 archaeological sites in Europe. They also reassessed 64 previously published genomes, resulting in a total of 75 genomes used for analysis.
Publishing their findings in PNAS, the researchers were able to tentatively associate all 75 genomes with documented plague outbreaks. The analysis showed that different genetic lineages appeared in different parts of Europe over time, rather than one lineage remaining continuously in the same location after the Black Death.
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