Hepatitis B virus found in 500 year old mummy

By Jeanna Bryner, LiveScience Staff Writer
posted: 25 July 2007 11:33 am ET

"The liver of a child mummy preserved for 500 years still holds samples of the hepatitis B virus. The mummy, along with other recently unearthed in South Korea, will help scientists understand how the virus evolved to its present state and what to expect in the future.

"This is a 'know your enemy' expedition to see if we can get information that can help today's—and tomorrow’s—sufferers," said Mark Spigelman of the Kuvin Center for the Study of Infectious and Tropical Diseases at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Spigelman is a paleo-epidemiologist, who studies ancient diseases found on mummified bodies to shed light on the modern forms of such illnesses.

This is the first time hepatitis B has been spotted in a mummified body..."

For full article go to:
http://www.livescience.com/health/070724_korean_mummy.html