The Aztec empire was overthrown by Spanish conquistadors in 1521, and epidemics wiped out 80% of the population within 50 years. A team of paleopathologists identified a deadly strain of Salmonella enterica, Paratyphi C, as the cause of the outbreaks, likely brought to Mexico by the Spanish and spread through infected food or water. The pathogen had eluded scientists until the DNA from the teeth of 29 skeletal victims was studied.
From their magnificent capital of Tenochtitlan, the Aztecs built an intricate social, political and religious society that flourished over the course of two centuries. Then came the arrival of invaders led by the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés, who overthrew the Aztec empire in 1521. Disaster struck again as a series of epidemics wiped out 80% of the Aztec population in about 50 years. The locals called the sores cocoliztli and they caused high fever, headache and bleeding from the eyes, mouth and nose, followed by death in three or four days. However, precise identification of the pathogen responsible for the outbreaks had eluded scientists until a team of paleopathologists found evidence of a deadly strain of Salmonella by studying the DNA from the teeth of 29 skeletal victims.
The Painful Fall of an Empire:
DNA research found traces of the bacterium Salmonella enterica, of the Paratyphi C variety, which is known to cause enteric fever. The Mexican subtype rarely infects humans today.
Many strains of salmonella are spread through infected food or water, and this may have traveled to Mexico on pets brought by the Spanish conquistadors, the researchers said.
Identifying the pathogen has been difficult because infectious diseases leave few archaeological clues. The new study was published in January 2018 in Nature Ecology & Evolution.
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