Molecular insights into the history of plague.

Because of the limits inherent in historical sources on ancient plague epidemics, many questions concerning their etiology and epidemiology remain unanswered. Molecular biology tools and the use of dental pulp as a preserved source of bacterial DNA enabled us to demonstrate that Yersinia pestis was the etiologic agent of the 1347 European Black Death and of two additional epidemics in 1590 and 1722 in southern France.