Summary

New DNA analysis from ancient bones supports the theory that syphilis originated in the Americas and spread globally through European colonization and the transatlantic slave trade.

Researchers reconstructed genomes of Treponema pallidum bacteria, the cause of syphilis and related diseases, from bones predating Columbus’s arrival in the Americas, tracing the bacteria’s common ancestor to about 9,000 years ago.

This suggests syphilis evolved in geographically isolated American populations before European contact.

While significant, researchers acknowledge that unanswered questions mean the origins debate will likely continue.