The First Ever Proven Case of Leprosy Found in Israel

The DNA of a shrouded man from the first century found in Jerusalem has revealed the earliest proven case of leprosy, Israel's Hebrew university announced on Wednesday.

The find is also the first of fragments of a burial shroud from the time of Jesus in Jerusalem, the university said in a statement.

Leprosy / Hansen's Disease - History
Leprosy, caused by Mycobacterium leprae, affects any organ like skin, eyes, mucosa, periphery nerves or any other organ. It can cause irreversible disfigurement of the extremities and nerve damage.

Unlike the complex weave of the Turin Shroud, which many people believe wrapped the body of Christ, this one is made up of a simple two-way weave, according to textiles historian Orit Shamir.

"Based on the assumption that this is representative of a typical burial shroud widely used at the time of Jesus, the researchers conclude that the Turin Shroud did not originate from Jesus-era Jerusalem," the university said.

The shrouded body, which was dated by radiocarbon methods to 1-50 AD, was found in a burial cave near Jerusalem's Old City next to the area where Judas, of the 12 original apostles of Jesus, is said to have committed suicide.

Psoriasis About
Psoriasis is a recurrent and complex inflammatory skin disorder that can have tremendous physical and psychological impact on the sufferer

One particularity about the tomb is that the man did not receive a secondary burial, contrary to common practice at the time.

Mark Spigelman, one of the molecular experts on the research team, believes this is because the man had suffered from leprosy and died of tuberculosis. The DNA of both diseases was found in his bones.

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A major study identified seven genes that increase an individual's susceptibility to leprosy.

Widely feared in medieval Europe, leprosy had been virtually eliminated there by the 16th century. Some researchers say this is because it was overtaken by tuberculosis.

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India may be hailed as a leprosy-free zone by health administrators worldwide. But the bitter fact is that over a thousand and more are suffering from the terrifying disease.

Details of the findings were to be published on Wednesday in the PloS ONE online journal of scientific and medical research.

Source-AFP
TAN