Genetic traits of Black Death survivors linked to autoimmune diseases today

Scientists find people with ERAP2 variant survived 14th-century plague at much higher rates

Scientists have identified genetic traits that determined who survived the Black Death more than 700 years ago, but which are today associated with an increased susceptibility to some autoimmune diseases.

The study of centuries-old DNA from victims and survivors of the bubonic plague that occurred in the 14th century found that people with what the scientists describe as a good" variant of a particular gene, known as ERAP2, survived at much higher rates.