Plague Epidemic in the Kingdom of Naples, 1656–1658

Scasciamacchia, Silvia; Serrecchia, Luigina; Giangrossi, Luigi; Garofolo, Giuliano; Balestrucci, Antonio; Sammartino, Gilberto; Fasanella, Antonio

doi:10.3201/eid1801.110597

Cited by 11 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…In fact, the confirmation of the cause of death of these individuals from San Leonardo represents an important result because these graves are the first Black Death burials attested in Southern Italy for the 14th century. Another find is dated back to the 1656-1658 epidemic [103]. Additionally, identifying plague victims in San Leonardo highlights that the contamination progressively spread through principal communication routes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic Evidence of the Black Death in the Abbey of San Leonardo (Apulia Region, Italy): Tracing the Cause of Death in Two Individuals Buried with Coins

et al. 2021

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The Abbey of San Leonardo in Siponto (Apulia, Southern Italy) was an important religious and medical center during the Middle Ages. It was a crossroads for pilgrims heading along the Via Francigena to the Sanctuary of Monte Sant’Angelo and for merchants passing through the harbor of Manfredonia. A recent excavation of Soprintendenza Archeologica della Puglia investigated a portion of the related cemetery, confirming its chronology to be between the end of the 13th and beginning of the 14th century. Two single graves preserved individuals accompanied by numerous coins dating back to the 14th century, hidden in clothes and in a bag tied to the waist. The human remains of the individuals were analyzed in the Laboratorio di Antropologia Fisica of Soprintendenza ABAP della città metropolitana di Bari. Three teeth from each individual were collected and sent to the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale di Puglia e Basilicata to study infectious diseases such as malaria, plague, tuberculosis, epidemic typhus and Maltese fever (Brucellosis), potentially related to the lack of inspection of the bodies during burial procedures. DNA extracted from six collected teeth and two additional unrelated human teeth (negative controls) were analyzed using PCR to verify the presence of human DNA (β-globulin) and of pathogens such as Plasmodium spp., Yersinia pestis, Mycobacterium spp., Rickettsia spp. and Brucella spp. The nucleotide sequence of the amplicon was determined to confirm the results. Human DNA was successfully amplified from all eight dental extracts and two different genes of Y. pestis were amplified and sequenced in 4 out of the 6 teeth. Molecular analyses ascertained that the individuals buried in San Leonardo were victims of the Black Death (1347–1353) and the data confirmed the lack of inspection of the corpses despite the presence of numerous coins. This study represents molecular evidence, for the first time, of Southern Italy’s involvement in the second wave of the plague pandemic.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic Evidence of the Black Death in the Abbey of San Leonardo (Apulia Region, Italy): Tracing the Cause of Death in Two Individuals Buried with Coins

et al. 2021

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“…Italy : “1629–1631 Italian plague” and “Naples Plague” Wikipedia articles, Wyman ( 1897 ), Beloch ( 1937 ), Morrison et al ( 1985 ), Scasciamacchia et al ( 2012 ), Tognotti ( 2013 ), White ( 2014 )…”

Section: Appendixmentioning

confidence: 99%

GDP effects of pandemics: a historical perspective

Stefański

2022

Empir Econ

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The paper estimates dynamic effects of pandemics on GDP per capita with local projections, controlling for the effects of wars and weather conditions, using a novel dataset that covers 33 countries and stretches back to the thirteenth century. On average, pandemics are found to have prolonged and highly statistically significant effects on GDP per capita—a pandemic killing 1% of the population tends to increase GDP per capita by approx. 0.3% after about 20 years. The study of a more detailed dataset available for the UK reveals that this results mainly from an increase in per capita land and a disproportionate impact of pandemics on low-productivity workers, while monetary expansion, institutional change and innovation could also play some role. At the same time, the effects of pandemics are found to vary with scale and across time and countries, with positive effects present following the Black Death and the Spanish flu pandemics, especially in Northern Europe. This suggests that only the largest and most unexpected pandemics have a positive impact on income.

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“…These conclusions have been further challenged by the observation of a 3-T homopolymeric tract which differed from the 5-T homopolymeric tract of the Orientalis Y. pestis CO92 type strain in four individuals in the second pandemia site of Manching-Pichl [44]. This was later shown to be CO92 strain specific and not Orientalis biotype specific [42].…”

Section: Palaeomicrobiology Answers Questionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular history of plague

Drancourt

Raoult

2016

Clinical Microbiology and Infection

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Plague, a deadly zoonose caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, has been firmly documented in 39 historical burial sites in Eurasia that date from the Bronze Age to two historical pandemics spanning the 6th to 18th centuries. Palaeomicrobiologic data, including gene and spacer sequences, whole genome sequences and protein data, confirmed that two historical pandemics swept over Europe from probable Asian sources and possible two-way-ticket journeys back from Europe to Asia. These investigations made it possible to address questions regarding the potential sources and routes of transmission by completing the standard rodent and rodent-flea transmission scheme. This suggested that plague was transmissible by human ectoparasites such as lice, and that Y. pestis was able to persist for months in the soil, which is a source of reinfection for burrowing mammals. The analyses of seven complete genome sequences from the Bronze Age indicated that Y. pestis was probably not an ectoparasite-borne pathogen in these populations. Further analyses of 14 genomes indicated that the Justinian pandemic strains may have formed a clade distinct from the one responsible for the second pandemic, spanning in Y. pestis branch 1, which also comprises the third pandemic strains. Further palaeomicrobiologic studies must tightly connect with historical and anthropologic studies to resolve questions regarding the actual sources of plague in ancient populations, alternative routes of transmission and resistance traits. Answering these questions will broaden our understanding of plague epidemiology so we may better face the actuality of this deadly infection in countries where it remains epidemic.

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Plague Epidemic in the Kingdom of Naples, 1656–1658

Cited by 11 publications

References 7 publications

Genetic Evidence of the Black Death in the Abbey of San Leonardo (Apulia Region, Italy): Tracing the Cause of Death in Two Individuals Buried with Coins

Genetic Evidence of the Black Death in the Abbey of San Leonardo (Apulia Region, Italy): Tracing the Cause of Death in Two Individuals Buried with Coins

GDP effects of pandemics: a historical perspective

Molecular history of plague

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