Evidence of a Louse-Borne Outbreak Involving Typhus in Douai, 1710-1712 during the War of Spanish Succession

Tung Nguyen-Hieu,Didier Raoult,Catherine Rigeade,Michel Signoli,Michel Drancourt,Gérard Aboudharam

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0015405

Abstract

BackgroundThe new field of paleomicrobiology allows past outbreaks to be identified by testing dental pulp of human remains with PCR.MethodsWe identified a mass grave in Douai, France dating from the early XVIIIth century. This city was besieged during the European war of Spanish succession. We tested dental pulp from 1192 teeth (including 40 from Douai) by quantitative PCR (qPCR) for R. prowazekii and B. quintana. We also used ultra-sensitive suicide PCR to detect R. prowazekii and genotyped positive samples.Results and DiscussionIn the Douai remains, we identified one case of B. quintana infection (by qPCR) and R. prowazekii (by suicide PCR) in 6/21 individuals (29%). The R. prowazekii was genotype B, a genotype previously found in a Spanish isolate obtained in the first part of the XXth century.ConclusionLouse-borne outbreaks were raging during the XVIIIth century; our results support the hypothesis that typhus was imported into Europe by Spanish soldiers from America.

Highlights

As mentioned by Zinsser, infectious illness has killed more soldiers during war than weapons [1]
Louse-borne outbreaks were raging during the XVIIIth century; our results support the hypothesis that typhus was imported into Europe by Spanish soldiers from America
We showed that some of the soldiers of the Grand Army that died in Vilnius after the passage of the Berezina river died of diseases transmitted by lice: Bartonella quintana and Rickettsia prowazekii [8]

Summary

Introduction

As mentioned by Zinsser, infectious illness has killed more soldiers during war than weapons [1]. The combination of an anthropological approach that identifies burials from catastrophes with a molecular approach that makes it possible to identify the genes of bacteria in dental pulp has developed recently into the framework of a new speciality called paleomicrobiology [3]. Thanks to these elements, we found that the Justinian plague, like the great plague of the Middle Ages, was due to Yersinia pestis Orientalis [4,5,6].

Methods

Results

Conclusion