How the Black Death Affected Today’s Oral Microbiome
The second plague pandemic of the mid-14th century, the Black Death, led to dietary changes that potentially caused changes in oral bacteria that contributed to systemic disease in modern humans, according to research recently published in Nature Microbiology.
Ancient DNA revealed two distinct microbial communities of bacteria: Streptococcus, a germ associated with periodontal disease that is found in humans today, and Methanobrevibacter, a germ considered distinct in healthy modern humans. By investigating the roots of these bacterial communities, it was found that nearly 11% could be explained by temporal changes, including the start of the Black Death, which may prove the unexpected, long-term consequences of respiratory diseases, the authors wrote...
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Ancient DNA revealed two distinct microbial communities of bacteria: Streptococcus, a germ associated with periodontal disease that is found in humans today, and Methanobrevibacter, a germ considered distinct in healthy modern humans. By investigating the roots of these bacterial communities, it was found that nearly 11% could be explained by temporal changes, including the start of the Black Death, which may prove the unexpected, long-term consequences of respiratory diseases, the authors wrote...
Click Here to Read More