BEIJING, July 26 (Xinhuanet) -- The liver of a
500-year-old child mummy unearthed in South Korea still holds samples of the
hepatitis B virus, which will aid scientists to understand how the virus evolved
to its present state and what to expect in the future.
This is the first time hepatitis B
has been found in a mummified body.
"This is a 'know your enemy' expedition to see if we
can get information that can help today's ¡ª and tomorrow's ¡ª 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.
In South Korea, 12 percent of the population are
hepatitis carriers, more than double the world average. The virus is responsible
for about 1 million deaths each year. It spreads through contact with an
infected person's body fluids, such as blood and semen. The body typically
recovers from the infection on its own after a few months, but chronic
infections can last a lifetime and cause scarring of the liver, liver cancer or
failure.
Until recently, scientists didn't think mummies
existed in South Korea. But a building boom in the country has led to the
relocation of many cemeteries and the discovery of mummies. Mummification, which
prevents the body from decaying naturally, would seem to go against Koreans'
ancient tradition of ancestor worship and the belief that upon death the soul
rises up and the body returns to its natural components.
However, in 1392, a group called the
Neo-Confucianists took over, revising former burial practices.
The newer burial practice favored mummification. It
involved laying the body on ice for up to 30 days and then placing the body
inside a pine coffin buried in a lime soil mixture. Compounds have been found in
pine with anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties that likely put the brakes
on decay of the bodies.
"In some cases, this inadvertently resulted in
extremely good natural mummification," Spigelman said.
(Agencies)
