Ancient sheep virus traced through DNA preserved in medieval manuscripts

Researchers traced the nearly 4,000-year history of the sheeppox virus by analyzing animal DNA extracted from medieval manuscripts, including the York Gospels and the Corpus Glossary. The study, published in Science Advances, found sheeppox virus DNA on parchment pages, indicating infected animals were used in production. Combining manuscript analysis with Bronze Age sheep teeth samples, the team determined sheeppox has threatened livestock for over 3,700 years. The findings may aid future efforts to combat the virus, which currently causes outbreaks like the one in Greece.

A study published in Science Advances has traced the nearly 4,000-year history of the sheeppox virus by analyzing animal DNA preserved in medieval manuscripts. Researchers from University College Dublin, led by PhD candidate Louis L'Hôte, examined parchment from works including the York Gospels and the Corpus Glossary of Corpus Christi College Cambridge. Multiple pages from the same manuscripts contained sheeppox virus DNA, indicating infected animals were used in production. The team also analyzed Bronze Age sheep teeth from ancient pastoralist settlements in the Eurasian steppe, finding the earliest known detections of the virus. By comparing ancient and modern virus sequences, they estimated that sheeppox, goatpox, and lumpy skin disease virus diverged between 11,500 and 3,700 years ago. Unlike smallpox, the sheeppox virus genome remained stable over millennia. The study was funded by Taighde Éireann-Research Ireland and the European Research Council, in collaboration with over 30 institutions. L'Hôte noted that sheeppox currently causes economic damage in Greece.