Overview
- The peer‑reviewed study, published October 24 in Current Biology, applied broad shotgun sequencing to teeth from 13 individuals recovered from the 1812 Vilnius mass grave.
- Researchers detected Salmonella enterica linked to paratyphoid fever in four soldiers and Borrelia recurrentis linked to louse‑borne relapsing fever in two, with one possible co‑infection.
- No DNA from Rickettsia prowazekii (typhus) or Bartonella quintana (trench fever) was found in these samples, contrasting with 2006 PCR‑based detections in different individuals from the site.
- The team authenticated the ancient DNA and, in one case, traced a B. recurrentis lineage matching a strain seen in Iron Age Britain, pointing to long‑term lineage persistence and turnover.
- The authors emphasize that the sample is tiny and degraded, so findings refine rather than replace prior views and support a multi‑cause scenario involving disease, cold, starvation and exhaustion.