Genetic Evidence of Yersinia pestis from the First Pandemic.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Archaeological case series of human skeletal remains; level assigned by design analogy for non-clinical paleogenomics.
PubMed 40869973 · doi:10.3390/genes16080926
What was done
Skeletal samples from multiple individuals excavated from a mid-6th to early 7th century mass grave in Jerash, Jordan, were screened for pathogen presence using proteomics. Selected positive samples underwent ancient DNA extraction, whole-genome sequencing, and comparative phylogenetic analysis against known First Pandemic (Plague of Justinian, 541–750 CE) *Yersinia pestis* lineages.
What was found
*Yersinia pestis* genomic DNA was recovered from 5 individuals. Genomic analysis revealed near-identical genomes across all 5 individuals, which clustered tightly with previously characterized First Pandemic lineages. No quantitative genomic metrics (such as coverage depth or specific SNP counts) were reported in the abstract.
Why it matters
This represents the first genomic confirmation of *Y. pestis* recovered directly from the Eastern Mediterranean during the First Pandemic, providing biological evidence connecting archaeological mortality events to the Justinianic Plague near its historical epicenter.
Limits
The abstract does not state the total number of individuals excavated or screened before identifying the 5 positive cases. Findings are limited to a single archaeological site and mass grave, and the chronological resolution is relatively wide (spanning the mid-6th to early 7th century).
Cited by
- supports The pathogen responsible for the Plague of Justinian (beginning in 541 AD) was Yersinia pestis, as confirmed by modern pathogen isolation.
- supports The first pandemic of bubonic plague (Plague of Justinian) persisted intermittently for approximately two centuries across large parts of the world.