Find out the oldest infectious bacteria of humanity

Recent research by scientists shows that leprosy bacteria existed 10 million years ago .

Recently, scientists from the University of Texas have confirmed that leprosy (common name - leprosy or leprosy) is the earliest infectious disease epidemic of humankind, from a few million years ago.

Leper is a dangerous disease. They attack the patient's skin cells and nerves, gradually nibbling on each part of the body, and causing extreme irritation and pain to the patient.

If the sick person is not treated, it will lead to disability, even death. Currently, hundreds of thousands of people across the planet are still struggling to cope with the disease.

More than 400 samples of Mycobacterium leprae bacteria were analyzed to show identical structure

In the past, the medical community was only aware of the type of Mycobacterium leprae , the culprit causing leprosy. However, in 2008, pathologist Xiang-Yang Han found another type of bacterium that also caused the epidemic, called Mycobacterium lepromatosis .

After testing 20 genetic samples of both types of bacteria, his team found that the two bacteria were all derived from the same bacteria that cause diseases of humankind and humanity. , existed 10 million years ago.

Before the discovery was made, the medical community thought that the other bacteria had undergone evolutionary evolution, resulting in a 40% decline in the genome structure and the creation of leprosy-causing bacteria.

More than 400 samples of Mycobacterium leprae bacteria were analyzed to show identical structure. This suggests that humans have brought this pathogenic bacterium from Africa to other parts of the Earth around 100,000 years ago.

In addition, leprosy-causing bacteria are unable to live in environments other than humans. Except for a rare case a few hundred years ago, a wild armadillo was suspected of being infected with the disease from an American explorer. This means that this bacterium has been parasitic in the human body for 100,000 years.

Experts describe the activity of this bacterium as follows: parasites attack and remove harmful molecules for them in the human body, while keeping only the protective components, helping them to be strong. up. That's why leprosy patients often lose parts of their body.

Thus, weathering is considered an inevitable consequence of long-term parasite process. This finding opens up new research directions for understanding the pathogenesis of many other infectious diseases.