A team of scientists from Australia and Vietnam has found new clues about old diseases. By looking at the bones of children who lived in Vietnam thousands of years ago, they discovered that some illnesses could be passed from mother to child.
These illnesses belong to a group called treponemal diseases. The group includes syphilis, yaws, and other similar infections. For a long time, researchers thought that when a baby was born with a treponemal disease, it meant the mother had venereal syphilis. The new study shows that this is not always true.
The research was led by Dr. Melandri Vlok, a lecturer at Charles Sturt University. The team examined bones from 16 archaeological sites across Vietnam, dating from about 10,000 to 1,000 years ago. Only three children showed clear signs of congenital treponematosis – the medical term for a treponemal infection passed at birth.
What the Bones Told Us
The children’s teeth and skeletons had special damage that matches treponemal disease. Two of the kids came from a site called Man Bac in northern Vietnam, a place already known for many treponemal cases.
At Man Bac, most of the infections were found in children and teenagers, not adults. This pattern fits diseases like yaws, which spread through skin contact, rather than through sexual activity.
Why It Matters for Syphilis History
Scientists often use evidence of congenital infection to argue whether syphilis existed outside the Americas before Columbus. The new findings suggest that a baby’s infection alone cannot tell us which specific disease was present.
In other words, some ancient bones once labeled as “congenital syphilis” might actually belong to other treponemal illnesses such as yaws.
Challenges of Studying Ancient Diseases
Finding DNA from old bones in tropical places like Southeast Asia is very hard because the material decays quickly. This makes it tough to prove exactly which germ caused the disease.
There are also ethical questions about cutting into human remains. Researchers stress the need to work closely with descendant communities and to protect the bones before any destructive testing.
Looking Ahead
The study shows that the bacteria behind treponemal diseases, especially Treponema pallidum, have a complicated past. Future work should focus on how these infections changed as people moved, lived, and faced new environments.
Understanding this complex story helps us see how ancient illnesses shaped human history – and why diseases like yaws are coming back in a warming world.