Ancient Syphilis-Like Disease Found in Vietnam Children’s Teeth | 4,000-Year-Old Evidence

Ancient skeletal remains discovered in Vietnam are challenging long-held assumptions about the origins and transmission of syphilis, a sexually transmitted infection. A new study indicates that a syphilis-like disease infected children as early as 4,000 years ago, but the infection likely spread through skin contact rather than sexual activity, suggesting the disease was a non-venereal form known as yaws.

The research, published in the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology and reported by multiple news outlets including Live Science and Archaeology.org, examined the bones and teeth of over 300 individuals from 16 archaeological sites across Vietnam, spanning a period of 10,000 to 1,000 years ago. Only three young children exhibited diagnostic features of congenital treponematosis, a disease caused by the bacterium Treponema, which can manifest as syphilis or yaws.

Congenital Treponematosis: Distinguishing Syphilis from Yaws

Congenital treponematosis refers to the infection of a fetus with Treponema bacteria, leading to developmental issues and skeletal abnormalities. For decades, the presence of congenital treponematosis in archaeological remains has often been interpreted as evidence of venereal syphilis, leading to theories about its global spread. However, this new research suggests that congenital infection alone is not a reliable indicator of venereal syphilis.

“If congenital transmission can occur in non-venereal treponematoses, then we need to rethink how we interpret skeletal evidence in the past,” explained Dr. Melandri Vlok of Charles Sturt University, the lead researcher on the study, as reported by LinkedIn. “Some cases previously labeled as congenital syphilis may represent entirely different diseases.”

Yaws is a tropical infectious disease related to syphilis but transmitted through direct skin contact. It is not typically considered a sexually transmitted infection. The researchers found that at Man Bac, a site in northern Vietnam, unusually high levels of treponemal disease were identified among children and adolescents. This pattern, they argue, strongly suggests a non-venereal form of transmission.

Evidence Points to Non-Venereal Transmission

The skeletal lesions observed in the three children included distinctive dental abnormalities and skeletal lesions linked to treponemal infection. The fact that the disease primarily affected children and adolescents at Man Bac supports the theory of non-venereal transmission through skin contact.

“The epidemiology of the site strongly points toward a non-venereal form of treponemal disease,” said Dr. Vlok. “Yet we still see evidence of congenital transmission. That’s the surprising part.”

Charles Sturt University, via Archaeology.org

Venereal syphilis was not common in the larger population studied, further supporting the conclusion that the children likely suffered from yaws. This finding challenges the traditional understanding of how treponemal diseases spread in ancient populations and complicates the debate surrounding the origins of syphilis.

Implications for Understanding the History of Syphilis

The origin of syphilis has been a long-standing mystery in medical history. Some theories suggest that syphilis originated in the Americas and was brought to Europe by Christopher Columbus’s crew. Others propose that it existed in the Old World in a different form. This new research doesn’t definitively resolve the debate, but it does highlight the difficulty of using skeletal evidence to determine the specific type of treponemal disease present in ancient populations.

The study suggests that previous interpretations of skeletal remains as evidence of congenital syphilis may need to be reevaluated. Researchers now caution that congenital infection with a treponemal disease does not automatically equate to infection with venereal syphilis. It could equally represent infection with yaws or another non-venereal form of the disease.

As reported by Phys.org, “For decades, congenital infection in archaeological remains has often been taken as strong evidence of venereal syphilis.” This study urges a more nuanced approach to interpreting ancient skeletal evidence and understanding the complex history of treponemal diseases.

The research team examined 309 individuals in total, spanning a vast timeframe. The discovery of congenital treponematosis in these ancient Vietnamese remains provides valuable insights into the transmission dynamics of treponemal diseases and underscores the importance of considering non-venereal forms of infection when interpreting archaeological evidence.