ERAP2 Boosted Plague Survival Odds

An ERAP2 genetic variant that helped people survive the Black Death is also a known risk factor for the autoimmune condition Crohn's disease. Researchers studying ancient DNA found that people with two copies of the protective variant were about 40% more likely to survive the plague than those without it. The variant helped immune cells kill the plague bacterium Yersinia pestis more effectively.

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