“ the Black Death devastated Afro-Eurasia, killing up to 30–50% of the population…protective gene variants overlap with alleles that are today associated with increased susceptibility to autoimmune diseases, providing empirical evidence for the role played by past pandemics in shaping present-day susceptibility to disease.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-05349-x #blackdeath #theplague #naturalselection #immunesystemgenes #autoimmuneisease