Scarlet Fever Pre‑Columbus

Researchers reconstructed a full genome of Streptococcus pyogenes from a Bolivian mummy tooth dated 1283–1383 CE, indicating scarlet‑fever‑causing bacteria circulated in the Americas before European contact. The bacterial genome resembles modern strains and suggests major S. pyogenes diversification around 5,000 years ago—likely linked to the rise of farming and higher population density. — If confirmed, this rewrites a common historical narrative that scarlet fever was a European import and underscores how ancient genomics can reshape understandings of disease, demography, and Indigenous historical experience.