Skeletons from the 18th century reveal typhus epidemic from Spain

By studying the dental pulp of skeletons buried in Douai (northern France), researchers have identified the pathogenic agents responsible for trench fever and typhus. This work reveals for the first time the presence of typhus in Europe at the start of the 18th century and lends weight to the hypothesis that this disease could have been imported into Europe by Spanish conquistadors returning from the Americas.

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