Cairo: The ancient civilization of Egypt is the most famous in the world. It is known for its huge architecture and rich cultural heritage. But this civilization also struggled with various types of infectious diseases. A recent research has shown that the Egyptians suffered from diseases such as smallpox, tuberculosis and some leprosy. A notable case is that of Ramesses V, the fourth pharaoh of the 20th Dynasty of Egypt, whose mummified body bears clear marks of smallpox. The World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared the eradication of smallpox worldwide in 1980. But is it possible that the mummies found now can recreate smallpox or any other disease?
Piers Mitchell, director of the Ancient Parasite Laboratory at the University of Cambridge, says that it is extremely difficult for this to be possible. According to the report of Live Science, he said, ‘If there is no living host body, most species of parasites die within a year or two. If more than 10 years pass, everything will be over.’ According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), poxviruses like smallpox can only reproduce inside the cells of a living host.
Can leprosy spread?
According to the NIH, the bacteria that cause tuberculosis and leprosy also need a living host to survive. In the case of leprosy, it takes a long time of contact with a sick person to spread. This is because the bacteria that cause this disease increase their population slowly. Another factor that reduces the chances of a disease from a mummy is DNA degradation.
Cannot spread disease
The analysis showed that all the DNA fragments of these parasites are small. Instead of having nice, long, healthy DNA chains, they are only 50 to 100 base pairs. It seems as if everything has been cut up. This is because the DNA is getting damaged and broken. Once the DNA is broken, nothing can happen.’ Although intestinal worms can survive longer than other organisms, not all of them need a host. However, this is also not a matter of concern.
