Genomic Analysis of a 5,500-Year-Old Case of Treponematosis from Sabana de Bogotá

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2025: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The geographic origin, evolution, and spread of treponemal diseases remain highly debated. Treponema pallidum subspecies, responsible for modern treponemal diseases, were once believed to be linked to specific clinical manifestations and environmental contexts. However, recent genomic studies have revised this perspective by providing new insights into their evolutionary history and phylogeographic presence. In this study, we present a 5,500-year-old Treponema pallidum-like pathogen genome recovered from an individual from a hunter-gatherer community in Sabana de Bogotá, Colombia. This genome, with 1.7-fold coverage, is the oldest reconstructed Treponema genome to date and offers the first pre-Hispanic genomic characterization from this region. Our findings expand the dataset of treponemal pathogens by millennia and enhance understanding of past treponematosis. Phylogenomic analysis shows that this pathogen is a basal lineage to all known Treponema pallidum subspecies, including ancient strains. Integrating these genomic data with archaeological and paleopathological evidence sheds light on mid-Holocene treponemal diseases in the Americas and the ecological and environmental drivers of pathogen evolution. This research highlights the value of combining genetic, archaeological, and paleopathological evidence to explore the diverse contexts in which treponemal diseases evolved and persisted.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• SAA 2025: Individual Abstracts

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 53833