Syphilis May Have Spread through Europe before Columbus

(University of Zurich, August 13, 2020)

Although syphilis, a disease caused by a subspecies of the Treponema pallidum bacteria, devastated Europe from the late 15th to the 18th century, its origins remain unclear. Until now, the most popular hypothesis contended that Christopher Columbus and his sailors brought the disease to Europe from the New World, but the findings of a recent University of Zurich study indicate that syphilis may have already existed in Europe prior to the 15th century. Moreover, based on data indicating that yaws were widespread in Europe, as well the discovery of a previously unknown pathogen belonging to a new basal treponemal lineage, last author Verena Schünemann concluded that “the strains of treponematoses may have co-evolved and interchanged genetic material before and during the intercontinental contacts,” which would disprove current theories about the origins of syphilis and other treponemal diseases.