The reason seems to be, say researchers at the Hebrew University
of Jerusalem and in London, that tuberculosis, a far more deadly
disease, overtook leprosy, killing millions throughout Europe.
Their conclusion is based upon the examination of DNA from human
remains from the ancient and medieval periods in Israel and
Europe. In these examinations, the scientists found traces of
both leprosy and tuberculosis bacteria in 42 percent of the
cases. The findings on the relationship between leprosy and
tuberculosis were reported in a recent edition of the British
Royal Society Proceedings B by Dr. Mark Spigelman, a visiting
professor at the Hebrew University Faculty of Medicine and of
the University College London; Prof. Charles Greenblatt of the
Sanford F. Kuvin Center for the Study of Infectious and Tropical
Diseases at the Hebrew University's Faculty of Medicine; and Dr.
Helen Donoghue of University College London. The earliest case
of co-infection of both leprosy and tuberculosis was found by
the researchers in t