The Oldest Human Infectious Disease? MD Anderson Researcher Uncovers Some Ancient Mysteries Of Leprosy

New research at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston has unearthed some of the ancient mysteries behind leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease, which has plagued mankind throughout history. The new research findings are published in the current edition of journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. According to this new hypothesis, leprosy disease may well be the oldest human-specific infection, with roots that likely stem back millions of years.

The PLOS NTG paper, entitled “On the Age of Leprosy” (doi/10.1371/journal.pntd.0002544) is co-authored bHanXYy Xiang Yang Han of the MD Anderson Center, and Francisco J. Silva of the Universitat de València’s Evolutionary Genetics Unit in Valencia, Spain.

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