The mummy was found in a tomb called a chullpa on the Bolivian Altiplano. (Image credit: J.G. Estellano/Eurac Research)

Using ancient-DNA analysis, researchers have identified the presence of Streptococcus pyogenes , or group A strep, in a 700-year-old mummy from Bolivia, confirming that strep infections were present in the Americas prior to European exploration. The strain of strep discovered in the mummy is similar to modern ones that can cause strep throat and scarlet fever.

This is the first time group A strep has been identified in archaeological remains, the researchers said.

Maixner and colleagues had been studying naturally mummified remains found in "chullpas," a type of ancient funeral tower, across the Andean Plateau in Bolivia.…