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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 27, 2026

Optimized Protocols for Mycobacterium leprae Strain Management: Frozen Stock Preservation and Maintenance in Athymic Nude Mice

Optimized Protocols for Mycobacterium leprae Strain Management: Frozen Stock Preservation and Maintenance in Athymic Nude Mice

Published on: March 23, 2014

Leprosy and the natural selection for psoriasis.

Ioannis D Bassukas¹, Georgios Gaitanis, Max Hundeiker

¹Department of Skin and Venereal Diseases, University of Ioannina Medical School, Ioannina, Greece. ibassuka@cc.uoi.gr

Medical Hypotheses

|November 15, 2011

Summary

Psoriasis prevalence may be linked to an evolutionary advantage in resisting leprosy. This hypothesis suggests that certain psoriasis-associated genes provided protection against leprosy, favoring their expansion in European ancestors.

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Last Updated: May 27, 2026

Optimized Protocols for Mycobacterium leprae Strain Management: Frozen Stock Preservation and Maintenance in Athymic Nude Mice

Optimized Protocols for Mycobacterium leprae Strain Management: Frozen Stock Preservation and Maintenance in Athymic Nude Mice

Published on: March 23, 2014

Area of Science:

Immunology
Evolutionary Biology
Genetics

Background:

Psoriasis is a prevalent inflammatory skin disease with higher incidence in Northern European populations.
Enhanced innate immunity is a key factor in psoriasis pathophysiology.
Population-level psoriasis prevalence differences are hypothesized to stem from natural selection pressures related to immunity against infectious agents.

Observation:

A notable clinical observation is the near-mutual exclusivity between psoriasis and leprosy.
This observation is corroborated by distinct Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) patterns in patients with psoriasis versus leprosy.

Findings:

The study proposes that resistance to leprosy may have conferred an evolutionary advantage.
This advantage could have favored the proliferation of specific psoriasis-associated genotypes, particularly in ancestral European populations.
The spread of genetic traits conferring leprosy resistance might also explain the decline of leprosy in medieval Europe.

Implications:

This hypothesis offers a novel perspective on the genetic underpinnings of psoriasis.
It suggests a potential role for past infectious diseases in shaping immune-related genetic predispositions.
Further genetic and paleoepidemiological research is recommended to validate this evolutionary link between psoriasis and leprosy resistance.