Deadly bacteria that doomed Napoleon's army discovered 213 years after Russian retreat

Scientists accidental they've discovered traces of the deadly pathogens that ravaged Napoleon's soldiers during his doomed 1812 retreat from Russia — offering a clearer representation of the circumstances of the French general's downfall.

A survey published successful the diary Current Biology connected Nov. 3 analyzed DNA from the teeth of French soldiers who were buried successful a wide sedate successful Vilnius, Lithuania.

The soldiers served nether Napoleon during his disastrous penetration of Russia successful the wintertime of 1812. They were among the astir 300,000 French Grande Armée soldiers who perished successful the campaign.

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The teeth contained bacteria that causes paratyphoid fever and louse-borne relapsing fever, said the researchers — indicating that respective infections circulated among the soldiers who were weakened by hunger and the freezing temperatures.

These 2 pathogens had not been identified antecedently among Napoleon's soldiers, though historians person documented the harsh conditions of their deaths for implicit 2 centuries.

Scientists accidental caller DNA grounds from a Vilnius wide sedate reveals deadly infections among Napoleon's retreating soldiers. (Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

After marching into Moscow, Napoleon's run rapidly unraveled. The French emperor was forced to retreat amid the harsh Russian winter, dwindling supplies and fierce counterattacks.

Study writer Nicolás Rascovan, speaking to Reuters, said Vilnius "was a cardinal waypoint connected the 1812 retreat route." The wide sedate contains the remains of up to 3,000 soldiers.

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"Many soldiers arrived exhausted, starving and ill," the microbiologist said. 

"A important fig died determination and were interred rapidly successful wide graves."

"[The study] lets america enactment names to infections that symptom-based accounts unsocial cannot resolve."

Rascovan said that starvation, numbing temperatures and typhus were agelong known arsenic large causes of death, but that the survey conclusively proves that paratyphoid fever and louse-borne relapsing fever were besides present.

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These "may person contributed to debilitation and mortality," Rascovan added.

Four of the 13 soldiers tested affirmative for the paratyphoid fever bacterium, portion 2 others tested affirmative for the relapsing fever bacterium. 

The findings shed airy connected the wellness crises that compounded Napoleon's subject illness successful 1812. (The Print Collector/Heritage Images via Getty Images)

Both bacterial infections origin fever, headache and weakness, and tin dispersed rapidly successful crowded, unsanitary conditions.

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Paratyphoid fever is dispersed done nutrient and water, portion louse-borne relapsing fever is dispersed by assemblage lice.

Rascovan emphasized that studying past DNA "lets america enactment names to infections that symptom-based accounts unsocial cannot resolve."

Napoleon's Grande Armée faced hunger, exhaustion and corruption arsenic the troops fled Russia's brutal wintertime conditions. (VCG Wilson/Corbis via Getty Images)

"The co-occurrence of pathogens with antithetic transmission routes underscores however dire sanitary conditions were," helium said. 

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"Future enactment crossed much sites and individuals volition refine the illness scenery of 1812."

Reuters contributed reporting.