Fall of Athens in Ancient Greece is linked to typhoid fever

Never say that diseases don’t change the course of history.

A severe epidemic wiped out Athens’ military and economic power about 430 BCE. New DNA evidence gathered from within the teeth of the victims indicates that the disease was probably typhoid.

P.S. On Aetiology, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology Tara C. Smith has a more detailed explanation and a link to the original journal article from the International Journal of Infectious Diseases.