Publications by authors named "Linda Melo"
Article Synopsis
- Hansen's disease (leprosy) has a long history in Europe but is mainly found today in tropical regions, with about 200,000 new cases each year; the genetic history of Mycobacterium leprae is still not fully understood.
- This study reconstructed 19 ancient M. leprae genomes from various regions in Europe, revealing significant genetic diversity, particularly in leprosaria, and identified a new genotype in Belarus.
- The research highlights common patterns of strain diversity across Europe, shows that leprosaria were hotspots for this diversity, and provides insights into the historical transmission of the disease.
Objective: This study describes the first evidence of a probable paleopathological case of leprosy from northern Portugal.
Materials: An adult male, skeleton 403, exhumed from the Christian cemetery associated with the church dedicated to Saint Mamede (Travanca, Santa Maria da Feira), dated from the 17th-19th century AD.
Methods: Standard bioarchaeological methods were used for sex and age-at-death determinations, and leprosy-related bone lesions were identified through macroscopic analysis guided by paleopathological diagnostic criteria.