Duemila anni di... malaria. Che la malattia fosse presente già ai tempi dell'Impero romano, in Italia, l'ha dimostrato un gruppo internazionale di ricercatori guidato da Stephanie Marciniak, dell'università canadese McMaster.
Gli scienziati hanno analizzato i resti di alcuni denti trovati in tre cimiteri del periodo imperiale, tra il I e III secolo d.C., e hanno pubblicato i risultati sulla rivista Current biology: tracce genetiche del parassita P. falciparum sono state trovate sui campioni.
La scoperta è la chiave che offre nuove informazioni sull'evoluzione delle malattie nell'uomo. "Probabilmente ha causato numerose morti all'epoca", ha commentato Hendrik Poinar, uno dei ricercatori. La malaria è, ancora oggi, il parassita più diffuso nell'Africa sub-sahariana e il più letale.
Ansa/px
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