New research traces the origins of trench fever

First observed among British expeditionary forces in 1915, trench fever sickened some 500,000 soldiers during World War I. But now, new research by an international team of scientists has uncovered evidence that challenges this long-held belief.

The research, published this week in PLOS ONE, outlines the discovery of DNA evidence of the disease in civilian remains from thousands of years before World War I. In total, the team analyzed bone and tooth fragments from 145 living individuals between the 1st and 19th centuries. About 20% of these remains contained traces of Bartonella quintana, the bacterium responsible for trench fever.

Davide Tanasi, associate professor in the USF History Department and member of the Institute for the Advanced Study of Culture and the Environment, excavated the remains of this project from a Roman cemetery in Syracuse, Sicily. Tanasi, who is also the director of the USF’s Institute for Digital Exploration, began work on the site to better understand the eating habits and health of the Christian population who lived there during the 3rd and 4th centuries. Through a collaboration with French epidemiologists, the researchers used the real-time polymerase chain reaction test to detect B. quintana DNA within the remains.

“Once contracted, there are diseases, such as trench fever, that can leave traces in your DNA and can supplement your DNA with more information,” Tanasi said. “This means that once a person dies, even as far back as 2,000 years ago, you can still find traces of the bacterium that infected them.”

Tanasi says the discovery sheds light on the complex history of trench fever and begins to answer historical questions about the life of Christian citizens in this region during the 3rd and 4th centuries.

“Archeology is not just the study of the past, but it is something that can make the present better by studying the past,” he said. “The more we understand the behavior of these bacteria in the past, the more we can design plans to address, contain and eliminate them in the present.”

While most associate this disease with WWI and WWII, cases of trench fever are still reported today, most prominently among homeless populations. Bacteria spread to humans through contact with body lice (Pediculus humanus corporis), making poor personal hygiene a primary factor in its spread and rate of infection. The researchers hope that by tracing the progression of B. quintana through history, they will be able to identify ways to better manage the spread of the disease today.

Per Tanasi continues his work with the remains excavated in Sicily. Through stable isotope analysis, his research group examines the diet and life of those who once lived in the region. He hopes this work will further answer the questions about the lifestyle and health of the Roman Syracuse Christian community.