The culprit of the Plague Battle killed 100,000 people in England

Researching DNA from human bones, scientists found the bacteria that caused the Plague to eradicate 1/4 of London's population in England in 1665.

After studying 20 skeletons at the Bedlam collective burial ground in eastern London, British researchers identified the plague-causing bacterium in 1665 that caused 100,000 deaths, accounting for a quarter of the population. this city in that period, Independent 9/9 reported.

Analyzing DNA from these skeletons, experts found that most of the samples tested positive for yersina pestis , the bacteria that caused the Black Death pandemic in 1348 and the plague in China in 1855.

Human bones were unearthed at Bedlam cemetery in July 2015. (Photo: Crossrail).

"This is an important finding because so many people still have doubts about the cause of the massive outbreak of 1665. This discovery sheds light on plague and paves the way for more extensive research on the disease. in the past and present , " said Don Walker, a long-time researcher on human bones at London's Archaeological Museum.

About 4-5 years ago, when studying human bones from pandemic Black Death, scientists discovered the cause was caused by yersina pestis, but they were not sure about the origin of the plague outbreak in 1665. "Research results have now identified two pandemics caused by the same bacteria , " Walker explained.

Researching DNA from the bones of plague patients is the only way to gather important information about the disease.

"We live in a period called the third pandemic. The plague still spreads from rodents but not easily infect humans. If you compare this information with the current plague's DNA and DNA in the Black Death epidemic, we can clarify the disease, " Walker said.