Ancient bacterium’s genome could rewrite the history of syphilis

image via New Scientist

January 22, 2026, 7:00 PM

• •The study sequenced the genome of a 5,500-year-old Treponema pallidum strain.
• •The ancient strain suggests treponemal diseases were more diverse in the past.
• •The discovery challenges theories about the origin and spread of syphilis.
• •The bacterium's presence in the Americas predates European colonialism.

A new study published in Science reveals that the bacterium behind syphilis, Treponema pallidum, may have originated much earlier than previously believed. Researchers sequenced the genome of a T. pallidum strain from the bones of a man who lived 5,500 years ago in Colombia. This discovery pushes back the evolutionary timeline of treponemal diseases and suggests these infections were more diverse thousands of years ago. The finding challenges existing theories about the origins and spread of syphilis, indicating its presence in the Americas predates European colonialism.

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