Genetic Risk For MS Was Brought Into Europe By Sheep And Cattle Herders Migrating From The East Approximately 5,000 Years Ago, Research Suggests

MedPage Today (1/10, George) reports, “Genetic risk for multiple sclerosis (MS) was brought into Europe by sheep and cattle herders migrating from the east approximately 5,000 years ago, DNA profiles from archaeological bones and teeth suggested.” Investigators found tat “migration among pastoralists from the Pontic steppe – a region that includes parts of what are now Ukraine, Russia, and Kazakhstan – brought genetic variants that, in a modern environment, raise the risk of MS.” But, “in the past...these variants may have served a purpose: they likely protected livestock herders against pathogens from their domesticated animals.” The findings were published in Nature.