Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41540446›Full record

ArticleGenome biology2026

Ancient DNA study provides clues to leprosy susceptibility in medieval Europe.

Joanna H Romeyer-Dherbey, Amke Caliebe, Onur Ӧzer, Nicolas Antonio da Silva, Nicolás Mendoza Mejía, Daniel Anton Myburgh, Katharina Fuchs, Dorthe Dangvard Pedersen, Jesper Boldsen, Lars Agersnap Larsen and 6 more

Abstract readHistorical Article
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
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Article in Genome biology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

16 authors.

Joanna H Romeyer-DherbeyInstitute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, Rosalind-Franklin Straße 12, Kiel, 24105, Germany. joanna.bonczarowska@yale.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0761-9597
Amke CaliebeInstitute of Medical Informatics and Statistics, Kiel University, Brunswiker Straße 10, Kiel, 24105, Germany.
Onur ӦzerInstitute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, Rosalind-Franklin Straße 12, Kiel, 24105, Germany.
Nicolas Antonio da SilvaInstitute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, Rosalind-Franklin Straße 12, Kiel, 24105, Germany.
Nicolás Mendoza MejíaInstitute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, Rosalind-Franklin Straße 12, Kiel, 24105, Germany.
Daniel Anton MyburghInstitute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, Rosalind-Franklin Straße 12, Kiel, 24105, Germany.
Katharina FuchsInstitute of Prehistoric and Protohistoric Archaeology, Kiel University, Johanna-Mestorf Straße 2, Kiel, 24118, Germany.
Dorthe Dangvard PedersenUnit of Anthropology, Department of Forensic Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, Odense M, 5230, Denmark.
Jesper BoldsenUnit of Anthropology, Department of Forensic Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, Odense M, 5230, Denmark.
Lars Agersnap LarsenViborg Museum, Sct. Mogens Gade 5, Viborg, 8800, Denmark.
Lone SeebergMuseum Horsens, Fussingsvej 8, Horsens, 8700, Denmark.
Morten SøvsøMuseum West, Tangevej 6B, Ribe, 6760, Denmark.
Dirk RiegerDepartment of Archaeology, Hanseatic City of Lübeck Historic Monuments Protection Authority, Königstraße 21, Lübeck, 23539, Germany.
Andreas PrescherInstitute of Molecular and Cellular Anatomy, University Clinic RWTH Aachen, Wendlingweg 2, Aachen, 52074, Germany.
Almut Nebel *Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, Rosalind-Franklin Straße 12, Kiel, 24105, Germany.
Ben Krause-Kyora *Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, Rosalind-Franklin Straße 12, Kiel, 24105, Germany. b.krause-kyora@ikmb.uni-kiel.de.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundLeprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae (M. leprae) that reached an epidemic scale in the Middle Ages. Nowadays, the disease is absent in Europe and host genetic influences have been considered as a contributing factor to leprosy disappearance. In this study, we perform a case-control association analysis between multiple human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles and leprosy in a medieval European population. The sample comprises 302 individuals from 18 archaeological sites in Denmark (N = 16) and Germany (N = 2).

resultsOur results indicate that HLA-B*38 is associated with leprosy risk. Furthermore, we detect three novel variants that were possibly involved in leprosy risk or protection: HLA-A*23, DRB1*04, and DRB1*13. We also note a subtle temporal change in frequency for several alleles previously associated with infectious diseases, inflammatory disorders, and cancer in present-day populations.

conclusionsThis study demonstrates the potential of ancient DNA in the identification of genetic variants involved in predisposition to diseases that are no longer present in Europe but remain endemic elsewhere. Although it is difficult to pinpoint the reason behind the temporal frequency shift, past epidemics of infectious diseases have likely influenced the HLA pool in present-day Europe.

Indexed as

DNA, AncientGenetic Predisposition to DiseaseLeprosyAllelesCase-Control StudiesEuropeEuropean PeopleGene FrequencyHistory, MedievalHumansDNA, AncientAncient DNAAncient genomicsCase–control association studyEpidemicsHuman immunityHuman leukocyte antigensLeprosyMiddle AgesMycobacterium lepraePathogen-driven selection

Identifiers

PMID41540446
PMCPMC12838506

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.