查尔斯斯图尔特大学研究团队对越南北部和南部考古遗址出土的骨骼进行了分析，在距今约3500年的儿童遗骸中发现了先天性螺旋体病传染的证据[1]。研究人员检查了来自16个考古遗址的309名个体遗骸，其中仅3名儿童显示出先天性螺旋体病症状[1]。
这项发现对科学界长期以来的认知提出了挑战[1]。Man Bac遗址的感染年龄分布主要集中在儿童和青少年，这种模式更符合非性传播的螺旋体疾病特征，而非传统认为的梅毒表现[1]。研究表明，除梅毒外，雅司病等其他螺旋体疾病也可能通过母婴传播[1]。参与研究的Dr. Melandri Vlok指出，"先天性感染本身可能不足以区分性梅毒和其他螺旋体病"[1]，这意味着科学家需要重新审视以先天性感染作为鉴别古代梅毒标志的假设。这项研究已发表在《International Journal of Osteoarchaeology》2026年第36卷第2期上[1]。
A research team from Charles Sturt University has challenged long-held assumptions about the origins and identification of syphilis by analyzing skeletal remains from Vietnam dating back approximately 3,500 years.[1] The analysis of 309 individuals from 16 archaeological sites across northern and southern Vietnam, conducted on remains dated between 4,000 and 3,200 years ago, identified congenital spirochetal infection in only three children.[1] The findings suggest that congenital transmission—traditionally used by scientists as a marker to distinguish ancient syphilis from other conditions—may not be exclusive to sexual syphilis, as other spirochetal diseases such as yaws can also be transmitted from mother to child.[1]
The evidence from the Man Bac archaeological site proved particularly informative, with infection patterns concentrated among children and adolescents in a distribution more consistent with non-sexually transmitted spirochetal diseases rather than congenital syphilis.[1] According to Dr. Melandri Vlok, a researcher involved in the study, "congenital infection alone may not be sufficient to distinguish sexual syphilis from other spirochetal diseases."[1] The research, published in the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology in 2026 (Volume 36, Issue 2, DOI: 10.1002/oa.70096), fundamentally alters the framework for identifying and understanding the prehistory of syphilis and related conditions in ancient populations.[1]