Italian officials have provided an interdisciplinary group of researchers from the University of South Florida access to the remains of individuals who died from the Black Death. The Black Death was a plague that killed millions of people in the 14th century. This study will help determine the effectiveness of pandemic quarantines.
The team from the USF Institute for the Advanced Study of Culture and the Environment is extracting DNA from the teeth of 900 skeletons excavated from the Old Lazzaretto. This is an island off the coast of Italy where officials built the world’s first isolation hospital in 1423.
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“This is the first time that we could have a set of DNA sequences of pathogens present at a single location, and in parallel, DNA changes in the local populations,” said Robert Tykot. He’s a professor of anthropology. “Thus, we can study for the first time, the co-evolution of pathogens and humans, unhindered by the fast mutations of modern viruses or the presence of vaccinated people.”
USF visiting research fellow and Venice native Andrea Vianello is coordinating the project with preservation groups to develop the site’s first genetic database. This will allow them to trace the evolution of pathogens and humans over 300 years. It will help to determine if the introduction of containment measures, such as masks and isolation, affected genetics.
“The Venetians invented lockdowns and masks to address pandemics and they seemed to work,” Vianello said. “Our project will test scientifically their effectiveness, before vaccines and medicines existed. We will see if any epidemics were stopped by the quarantine island.”
Tracking the first outbreak — Justinianic
The team launched the historical plagues research effort earlier this year when they began tracking Justinianic, the world’s first plague to strike during the previous millennium, at a mass burial site in Jerash, Jordan.
Lead geneticist Rays Jiang helped identify bacterium of the plague in Jordan. He’s an associate professor in the College of Public Health. He’s excited to expand their research, describing the Old Lazzaretto, a World Heritage Site, as a time capsule and treasure trove for the field of genetics.
“This unique quarantine island can contain devastating plague pathogens, newly introduced syphilis pathogen and anthrax pathogen that jumped from animals,” Jiang said. “For the first time, it captures multiple pathogens coexisting in human populations over three centuries.”
The team is applying for funding to further analyze the remains and conduct proteomics. This is a type of analysis that can reveal how genetics are expressed. It can also facilitate drug development by providing a comprehensive map of protein interactions associated with disease.
“Studying ancient pandemics is useful for preventing future ones as it allows us to identify epidemic patterns, track pathogen evolution, understand cultural and social contexts, learn from mistakes, anticipate challenges and inform public health policies,” Jiang said.
The findings from this project will be displayed in a permanent exhibit. It will be at the new National Archaeological Museum of the Venetian Lagoon in Italy. It’s expected to open in about five years.
Additional contributors to the project include:
- The Archeoclub
- Venice Superintendence of Antiquities
- Professor Gloria Ferreira in the USF Department of Molecular Medicine
- USF research scientist Swamy Rakesh Adapa
- Gregory O Corey-Crowe from Florida Atlantic University
