Tuberculosis spread by Roman empire

A study led by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the US has revealed that the rapid expansion of the Roman empire in the first century AD caused the spread of TB across the world. Dissemination of the disease, which was first seen in humans in Africa 5,000 years ago, is thought to have been aided by new transport links as well as increased movement and exploration around the Mediterranean.

The Roman baths in Bath, England. Roman expansion may have spread TB B