1
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Mongillo J, Zedda N, Rinaldo N, Bellini T, Manfrinato MC, Du Z, Yang R, Stenseth NC, Bramanti B. Differential pathogenicity and lethality of bubonic plague (1720-1945) by sex, age and place. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20240724. [PMID: 39045692 PMCID: PMC11267469 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.0724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Revised: 06/05/2024] [Accepted: 06/17/2024] [Indexed: 07/25/2024] Open
Abstract
COVID-19 brought back to the attention of the scientific community that males are more susceptible to infectious diseases. What is clear for other infections-that sex and gender differences influence both risk of infection and mortality-is not yet fully elucidated for plague, particularly bubonic plague, although this knowledge can help find specific defences against a disease for which a vaccine is not yet available. To address this question, we analysed data on plague from hospitals in different parts of the world since the early eighteenth century, which provide demographic information on individual patients, diagnosis and course of the disease in the pre-antibiotic era. Assuming that the two sexes were equally represented, we observe a worldwide prevalence of male cases hospitalized at any age, a result which seems better explained by gender-biased (thus cultural) behaviours than biological sex-related factors. Conversely, case fatality rates differ among countries and geographic macro-areas, while globally, lethality appears slightly prevalent in young females and older adults (regardless of sex). Logistic regression models confirm that the main risk factor for bubonic plague death was the geographical location of the cases and being older than 50 years, whereas sex only showcased a slight trend.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. Mongillo
- Department of Environmental and Prevention Sciences, University of Ferrara, Ferrara44121, Italy
| | - N. Zedda
- Department of Environmental and Prevention Sciences, University of Ferrara, Ferrara44121, Italy
| | - N. Rinaldo
- Department of Neurosciences and Rehabilitation, University of Ferrara, Ferrara44121, Italy
| | - T. Bellini
- Department of Neurosciences and Rehabilitation, University of Ferrara, Ferrara44121, Italy
- University Strategic Center for Studies on Gender Medicine, University of Ferrara, Ferrara44121, Italy
| | - M. C. Manfrinato
- Department of Neurosciences and Rehabilitation, University of Ferrara, Ferrara44121, Italy
| | - Z. Du
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, People‘s Republic of China
| | - R. Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, People‘s Republic of China
| | - N. C. Stenseth
- Center for Pandemics and One Health Research, Sustainable Health Unit (SUSTAINIT), Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo0316, Norway
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo0316, Norway
- Vanke School of Public Health, Tsinghua University, Beijing100084, People‘s Republic of China
| | - B. Bramanti
- Department of Environmental and Prevention Sciences, University of Ferrara, Ferrara44121, Italy
- University Strategic Center for Studies on Gender Medicine, University of Ferrara, Ferrara44121, Italy
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo0316, Norway
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2
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Seersholm FV, Sjögren KG, Koelman J, Blank M, Svensson EM, Staring J, Fraser M, Pinotti T, McColl H, Gaunitz C, Ruiz-Bedoya T, Granehäll L, Villegas-Ramirez B, Fischer A, Price TD, Allentoft ME, Iversen AKN, Axelsson T, Ahlström T, Götherström A, Storå J, Kristiansen K, Willerslev E, Jakobsson M, Malmström H, Sikora M. Repeated plague infections across six generations of Neolithic Farmers. Nature 2024; 632:114-121. [PMID: 38987589 PMCID: PMC11291285 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07651-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 07/12/2024]
Abstract
In the period between 5,300 and 4,900 calibrated years before present (cal. BP), populations across large parts of Europe underwent a period of demographic decline1,2. However, the cause of this so-called Neolithic decline is still debated. Some argue for an agricultural crisis resulting in the decline3, others for the spread of an early form of plague4. Here we use population-scale ancient genomics to infer ancestry, social structure and pathogen infection in 108 Scandinavian Neolithic individuals from eight megalithic graves and a stone cist. We find that the Neolithic plague was widespread, detected in at least 17% of the sampled population and across large geographical distances. We demonstrate that the disease spread within the Neolithic community in three distinct infection events within a period of around 120 years. Variant graph-based pan-genomics shows that the Neolithic plague genomes retained ancestral genomic variation present in Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, including virulence factors associated with disease outcomes. In addition, we reconstruct four multigeneration pedigrees, the largest of which consists of 38 individuals spanning six generations, showing a patrilineal social organization. Lastly, we document direct genomic evidence for Neolithic female exogamy in a woman buried in a different megalithic tomb than her brothers. Taken together, our findings provide a detailed reconstruction of plague spread within a large patrilineal kinship group and identify multiple plague infections in a population dated to the beginning of the Neolithic decline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frederik Valeur Seersholm
- Lundbeck Foundation GeoGenetics Centre, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Karl-Göran Sjögren
- Department of Historical Studies, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Julia Koelman
- Human Evolution, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Malou Blank
- Department of Historical Studies, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Emma M Svensson
- Human Evolution, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | | | - Magdalena Fraser
- Human Evolution, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Thomaz Pinotti
- Lundbeck Foundation GeoGenetics Centre, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Laboratório de Biodiversidade e Evolução Molecular (LBEM), Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Hugh McColl
- Lundbeck Foundation GeoGenetics Centre, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Charleen Gaunitz
- Lundbeck Foundation GeoGenetics Centre, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Tatiana Ruiz-Bedoya
- Human Evolution, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Lena Granehäll
- Human Evolution, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Institute for Mummy Studies Eurac Research, Bolzano, Italy
| | | | | | - T Douglas Price
- Department of Historical Studies, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Morten E Allentoft
- Lundbeck Foundation GeoGenetics Centre, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Trace and Environmental DNA (TrEnD) Laboratory, School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Astrid K N Iversen
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Tony Axelsson
- Department of Historical Studies, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Torbjörn Ahlström
- Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Anders Götherström
- Centre for Palaeogenetics, Stockholm University and the Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jan Storå
- Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Kristian Kristiansen
- Lundbeck Foundation GeoGenetics Centre, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Historical Studies, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Eske Willerslev
- Lundbeck Foundation GeoGenetics Centre, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Mattias Jakobsson
- Human Evolution, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Palaeo-Research Institute, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Helena Malmström
- Human Evolution, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Palaeo-Research Institute, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Martin Sikora
- Lundbeck Foundation GeoGenetics Centre, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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3
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Primorac D, Šarac J, Havaš Auguštin D, Novokmet N, Bego T, Pinhasi R, Šlaus M, Novak M, Marjanović D. Y Chromosome Story-Ancient Genetic Data as a Supplementary Tool for the Analysis of Modern Croatian Genetic Pool. Genes (Basel) 2024; 15:748. [PMID: 38927684 PMCID: PMC11202852 DOI: 10.3390/genes15060748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2024] [Revised: 05/25/2024] [Accepted: 06/04/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Due to its turbulent demographic history, marked by extensive settlement and gene flow from diverse regions of Eurasia, Southeastern Europe (SEE) has consistently served as a genetic crossroads between East and West and a junction for the migrations that reshaped Europe's population. SEE, including modern Croatian territory, was a crucial passage from the Near East and even more distant regions and human populations in this region, as almost any other European population represents a remarkable genetic mixture. Modern humans have continuously occupied this region since the Upper Paleolithic era, and different (pre)historical events have left a distinctive genetic signature on the historical narrative of this region. Our views of its history have been mostly renewed in the last few decades by extraordinary data obtained from Y-chromosome studies. In recent times, the international research community, bringing together geneticists and archaeologists, has steadily released a growing number of ancient genomes from this region, shedding more light on its complex past population dynamics and shaping the genetic pool in Croatia and this part of Europe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dragan Primorac
- St. Catherine Specialty Hospital, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
- Faculty of Dental Medicine and Health, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
- School of Medicine, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
- Medical School, University of Split, 21000 Split, Croatia
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA 16802, USA
- The Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences, University of New Haven, West Haven, CT 06516, USA
- Regiomed Kliniken, 96450 Coburg, Germany
- Medical School, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia
- National Forensic Sciences University, Gandhinagar 382007, India
| | - Jelena Šarac
- Centre for Applied Bioanthropology, Institute for Anthropological Research, Gajeva 32, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Dubravka Havaš Auguštin
- Centre for Applied Bioanthropology, Institute for Anthropological Research, Gajeva 32, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Natalija Novokmet
- Centre for Applied Bioanthropology, Institute for Anthropological Research, Gajeva 32, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Tamer Bego
- Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Sarajevo, 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
| | - Ron Pinhasi
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
- Human Evolution and Archaeological Sciences (HEAS), University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Mario Šlaus
- Anthropological Center, Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Mario Novak
- Centre for Applied Bioanthropology, Institute for Anthropological Research, Gajeva 32, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
- Department of Archaeology and Heritage, Faculty of Humanities, University of Primorska, 6000 Koper, Slovenia
| | - Damir Marjanović
- Centre for Applied Bioanthropology, Institute for Anthropological Research, Gajeva 32, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
- International Burch University, 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Drug Development, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia
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4
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Quek ZBR, Ng SH. Hybrid-Capture Target Enrichment in Human Pathogens: Identification, Evolution, Biosurveillance, and Genomic Epidemiology. Pathogens 2024; 13:275. [PMID: 38668230 PMCID: PMC11054155 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens13040275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2024] [Revised: 03/11/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024] Open
Abstract
High-throughput sequencing (HTS) has revolutionised the field of pathogen genomics, enabling the direct recovery of pathogen genomes from clinical and environmental samples. However, pathogen nucleic acids are often overwhelmed by those of the host, requiring deep metagenomic sequencing to recover sufficient sequences for downstream analyses (e.g., identification and genome characterisation). To circumvent this, hybrid-capture target enrichment (HC) is able to enrich pathogen nucleic acids across multiple scales of divergences and taxa, depending on the panel used. In this review, we outline the applications of HC in human pathogens-bacteria, fungi, parasites and viruses-including identification, genomic epidemiology, antimicrobial resistance genotyping, and evolution. Importantly, we explored the applicability of HC to clinical metagenomics, which ultimately requires more work before it is a reliable and accurate tool for clinical diagnosis. Relatedly, the utility of HC was exemplified by COVID-19, which was used as a case study to illustrate the maturity of HC for recovering pathogen sequences. As we unravel the origins of COVID-19, zoonoses remain more relevant than ever. Therefore, the role of HC in biosurveillance studies is also highlighted in this review, which is critical in preparing us for the next pandemic. We also found that while HC is a popular tool to study viruses, it remains underutilised in parasites and fungi and, to a lesser extent, bacteria. Finally, weevaluated the future of HC with respect to bait design in the eukaryotic groups and the prospect of combining HC with long-read HTS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Z. B. Randolph Quek
- Defence Medical & Environmental Research Institute, DSO National Laboratories, Singapore 117510, Singapore
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5
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Grasso G, Bianciotto V, Marmeisse R. Paleomicrobiology: Tracking the past microbial life from single species to entire microbial communities. Microb Biotechnol 2024; 17:e14390. [PMID: 38227345 PMCID: PMC10832523 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.14390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Revised: 11/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/17/2024] Open
Abstract
By deciphering information encoded in degraded ancient DNA extracted from up to million-years-old samples, molecular paleomicrobiology enables to objectively retrace the temporal evolution of microbial species and communities. Assembly of full-length genomes of ancient pathogen lineages allows not only to follow historical epidemics in space and time but also to identify the acquisition of genetic features that represent landmarks in the evolution of the host-microbe interaction. Analysis of microbial community DNA extracted from essentially human paleo-artefacts (paleofeces, dental calculi) evaluates the relative contribution of diet, lifestyle and geography on the taxonomic and functional diversity of these guilds in which have been identified species that may have gone extinct in today's human microbiome. As for non-host-associated environmental samples, such as stratified sediment cores, analysis of their DNA illustrates how and at which pace microbial communities are affected by local or widespread environmental disturbance. Description of pre-disturbance microbial diversity patterns can aid in evaluating the relevance and effectiveness of remediation policies. We finally discuss how recent achievements in paleomicrobiology could contribute to microbial biotechnology in the fields of medical microbiology and food science to trace the domestication of microorganisms used in food processing or to illustrate the historic evolution of food processing microbial consortia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianluca Grasso
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e Biologia dei SistemiUniversità degli Studi of TurinTurinItaly
- Institut Systématique Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB: UMR7205 CNRS‐MNHN‐Sorbonne Université‐EPHE‐UA)¸ Muséum National d'Histoire NaturelleParisFrance
- Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection (IPSP), SSNational Research Council (CNR)TurinItaly
| | - Valeria Bianciotto
- Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection (IPSP), SSNational Research Council (CNR)TurinItaly
| | - Roland Marmeisse
- Institut Systématique Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB: UMR7205 CNRS‐MNHN‐Sorbonne Université‐EPHE‐UA)¸ Muséum National d'Histoire NaturelleParisFrance
- Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection (IPSP), SSNational Research Council (CNR)TurinItaly
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6
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Hodgins HP, Chen P, Lobb B, Wei X, Tremblay BJM, Mansfield MJ, Lee VCY, Lee PG, Coffin J, Duggan AT, Dolphin AE, Renaud G, Dong M, Doxey AC. Ancient Clostridium DNA and variants of tetanus neurotoxins associated with human archaeological remains. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5475. [PMID: 37673908 PMCID: PMC10482840 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41174-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The analysis of microbial genomes from human archaeological samples offers a historic snapshot of ancient pathogens and provides insights into the origins of modern infectious diseases. Here, we analyze metagenomic datasets from 38 human archaeological samples and identify bacterial genomic sequences related to modern-day Clostridium tetani, which produces the tetanus neurotoxin (TeNT) and causes the disease tetanus. These genomic assemblies had varying levels of completeness, and a subset of them displayed hallmarks of ancient DNA damage. Phylogenetic analyses revealed known C. tetani clades as well as potentially new Clostridium lineages closely related to C. tetani. The genomic assemblies encode 13 TeNT variants with unique substitution profiles, including a subgroup of TeNT variants found exclusively in ancient samples from South America. We experimentally tested a TeNT variant selected from an ancient Chilean mummy sample and found that it induced tetanus muscle paralysis in mice, with potency comparable to modern TeNT. Thus, our ancient DNA analysis identifies DNA from neurotoxigenic C. tetani in archaeological human samples, and a novel variant of TeNT that can cause disease in mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harold P Hodgins
- Department of Biology and the Waterloo Centre for Microbial Research, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - Pengsheng Chen
- Department of Urology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Surgery and Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Briallen Lobb
- Department of Biology and the Waterloo Centre for Microbial Research, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - Xin Wei
- Department of Biology and the Waterloo Centre for Microbial Research, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - Benjamin J M Tremblay
- Department of Biology and the Waterloo Centre for Microbial Research, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - Michael J Mansfield
- Genomics and Regulatory Systems Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Victoria C Y Lee
- Department of Biology and the Waterloo Centre for Microbial Research, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - Pyung-Gang Lee
- Department of Urology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Surgery and Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jeffrey Coffin
- Department of Anthropology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - Ana T Duggan
- McMaster Ancient DNA Centre, Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Alexis E Dolphin
- Department of Anthropology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - Gabriel Renaud
- Department of Health Technology, Section of Bioinformatics, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.
| | - Min Dong
- Department of Urology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Surgery and Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Andrew C Doxey
- Department of Biology and the Waterloo Centre for Microbial Research, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada.
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7
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Swali P, Schulting R, Gilardet A, Kelly M, Anastasiadou K, Glocke I, McCabe J, Williams M, Audsley T, Loe L, Fernández-Crespo T, Ordoño J, Walker D, Clare T, Cook G, Hodkinson I, Simpson M, Read S, Davy T, Silva M, Hajdinjak M, Bergström A, Booth T, Skoglund P. Yersinia pestis genomes reveal plague in Britain 4000 years ago. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2930. [PMID: 37253742 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38393-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Extinct lineages of Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of the plague, have been identified in several individuals from Eurasia between 5000 and 2500 years before present (BP). One of these, termed the 'LNBA lineage' (Late Neolithic and Bronze Age), has been suggested to have spread into Europe with human groups expanding from the Eurasian steppe. Here, we show that the LNBA plague was spread to Europe's northwestern periphery by sequencing three Yersinia pestis genomes from Britain, all dating to ~4000 cal BP. Two individuals were from an unusual mass burial context in Charterhouse Warren, Somerset, and one individual was from a single burial under a ring cairn monument in Levens, Cumbria. To our knowledge, this represents the earliest evidence of LNBA plague in Britain documented to date. All three British Yersinia pestis genomes belong to a sublineage previously observed in Bronze Age individuals from Central Europe that had lost the putative virulence factor yapC. This sublineage is later found in Eastern Asia ~3200 cal BP. While the severity of the disease is currently unclear, the wide geographic distribution within a few centuries suggests substantial transmissibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pooja Swali
- Ancient Genomics Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, London, UK.
| | | | | | - Monica Kelly
- Ancient Genomics Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | | | - Isabelle Glocke
- Ancient Genomics Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Jesse McCabe
- Ancient Genomics Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Mia Williams
- Ancient Genomics Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | | | - Louise Loe
- Oxford Archaeology, Osney Mead, Oxford, UK
| | - Teresa Fernández-Crespo
- School of Archaeology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Laboratoire Méditerranéen de Préhistoire Europe Afrique-UMR 7269, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France
- Departamento de Prehistoria, Arqueología, Antropología Social y Ciencias y Técnicas Historiográficas, Universidad de Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain
| | - Javier Ordoño
- Department of Archaeology and New Technologies, Arkikus, Spain
| | | | - Tom Clare
- Levens Local History Group, Levens, Cumbria, UK
| | - Geoff Cook
- Levens Local History Group, Levens, Cumbria, UK
| | - Ian Hodkinson
- School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | | | | | - Tom Davy
- Ancient Genomics Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Marina Silva
- Ancient Genomics Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Mateja Hajdinjak
- Ancient Genomics Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics and Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Anders Bergström
- Ancient Genomics Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Thomas Booth
- Ancient Genomics Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, London, UK.
| | - Pontus Skoglund
- Ancient Genomics Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, London, UK.
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8
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Clavel P, Louis L, Sarkissian CD, Thèves C, Gillet C, Chauvey L, Tressières G, Schiavinato S, Calvière-Tonasso L, Telmon N, Clavel B, Jonvel R, Tzortzis S, Bouniol L, Fémolant JM, Klunk J, Poinar H, Signoli M, Costedoat C, Spyrou MA, Seguin-Orlando A, Orlando L. Improving the extraction of ancient Yersinia pestis genomes from the dental pulp. iScience 2023; 26:106787. [PMID: 37250315 PMCID: PMC10214834 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Revised: 02/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Ancient DNA preserved in the dental pulp offers the opportunity to characterize the genome of some of the deadliest pathogens in human history. However, while DNA capture technologies help, focus sequencing efforts, and therefore, reduce experimental costs, the recovery of ancient pathogen DNA remains challenging. Here, we tracked the kinetics of ancient Yersinia pestis DNA release in solution during a pre-digestion of the dental pulp. We found that most of the ancient Y. pestis DNA is released within 60 min at 37°C in our experimental conditions. We recommend a simple pre-digestion as an economical procedure to obtain extracts enriched in ancient pathogen DNA, as longer digestion times release other types of templates, including host DNA. Combining this procedure with DNA capture, we characterized the genome sequences of 12 ancient Y. pestis bacteria from France dating to the second pandemic outbreaks of the 17th and 18th centuries Common Era.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Clavel
- Centre d’Anthropobiologie et de Génomique de Toulouse (CAGT), CNRS UMR5288, Université Paul Sabatier, 37 allées Jules Guesde, 31000 Toulouse, France
| | - Lexane Louis
- Centre d’Anthropobiologie et de Génomique de Toulouse (CAGT), CNRS UMR5288, Université Paul Sabatier, 37 allées Jules Guesde, 31000 Toulouse, France
| | - Clio Der Sarkissian
- Centre d’Anthropobiologie et de Génomique de Toulouse (CAGT), CNRS UMR5288, Université Paul Sabatier, 37 allées Jules Guesde, 31000 Toulouse, France
| | - Catherine Thèves
- Centre d’Anthropobiologie et de Génomique de Toulouse (CAGT), CNRS UMR5288, Université Paul Sabatier, 37 allées Jules Guesde, 31000 Toulouse, France
| | - Claudia Gillet
- Centre d’Anthropobiologie et de Génomique de Toulouse (CAGT), CNRS UMR5288, Université Paul Sabatier, 37 allées Jules Guesde, 31000 Toulouse, France
| | - Lorelei Chauvey
- Centre d’Anthropobiologie et de Génomique de Toulouse (CAGT), CNRS UMR5288, Université Paul Sabatier, 37 allées Jules Guesde, 31000 Toulouse, France
| | - Gaétan Tressières
- Centre d’Anthropobiologie et de Génomique de Toulouse (CAGT), CNRS UMR5288, Université Paul Sabatier, 37 allées Jules Guesde, 31000 Toulouse, France
| | - Stéphanie Schiavinato
- Centre d’Anthropobiologie et de Génomique de Toulouse (CAGT), CNRS UMR5288, Université Paul Sabatier, 37 allées Jules Guesde, 31000 Toulouse, France
| | - Laure Calvière-Tonasso
- Centre d’Anthropobiologie et de Génomique de Toulouse (CAGT), CNRS UMR5288, Université Paul Sabatier, 37 allées Jules Guesde, 31000 Toulouse, France
| | - Norbert Telmon
- Centre d’Anthropobiologie et de Génomique de Toulouse (CAGT), CNRS UMR5288, Université Paul Sabatier, 37 allées Jules Guesde, 31000 Toulouse, France
| | - Benoît Clavel
- Archéozoologie, Archéobotanique: Sociétés, Pratiques et Environnements (AASPE), CNRS-UMR7209, Muséum national d’histoire naturelle, 55 Rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Richard Jonvel
- Amiens Métropole Service Archéologie Préventive, 2 rue Colbert, 80000 Amiens, France
| | - Stéfan Tzortzis
- Service Régional de l’Archéologie, 21 allée Claude Forbin, 13100 Aix-en-Provence, France
| | - Laetitia Bouniol
- Service archéologique de la ville de Beauvais, 1 rue Desgroux, 60021 Beauvais, France
| | - Jean-Marc Fémolant
- Service archéologique de la ville de Beauvais, 1 rue Desgroux, 60021 Beauvais, France
| | | | - Hendrik Poinar
- McMaster Ancient DNA Centre, Departments of Anthropology, Biology and Biochemistry, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L9, Canada
- Michael G. DeGroote Institute of Infectious Disease Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S, 4L9, Canada
- Humans and the Microbiome Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Michel Signoli
- Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, EFS, ADES, 13005 Marseille, France
| | | | - Maria A. Spyrou
- Institute for Archaeological Sciences, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Andaine Seguin-Orlando
- Centre d’Anthropobiologie et de Génomique de Toulouse (CAGT), CNRS UMR5288, Université Paul Sabatier, 37 allées Jules Guesde, 31000 Toulouse, France
| | - Ludovic Orlando
- Centre d’Anthropobiologie et de Génomique de Toulouse (CAGT), CNRS UMR5288, Université Paul Sabatier, 37 allées Jules Guesde, 31000 Toulouse, France
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9
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Esquivel Gomez LR, Savin C, Andrianaivoarimanana V, Rahajandraibe S, Randriantseheno LN, Zhou Z, Kocher A, Didelot X, Rajerison M, Kühnert D. Phylogenetic analysis of the origin and spread of plague in Madagascar. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2023; 17:e0010362. [PMID: 37126517 PMCID: PMC10174576 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0010362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Revised: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Plague is a zoonotic disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, highly prevalent in the Central Highlands, a mountainous region in the center of Madagascar. After a plague-free period of over 60 years in the northwestern coast city of Mahajanga, the disease reappeared in 1991 and caused several outbreaks until 1999. Previous research indicates that the disease was reintroduced to the city of Mahajanga from the Central Highlands instead of reemerging from a local reservoir. However, it is not clear how many reintroductions occurred and when they took place. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS In this study we applied a Bayesian phylogeographic model to detect and date migrations of Y. pestis between the two locations that could be linked to the re-emergence of plague in Mahajanga. Genome sequences of 300 Y. pestis strains sampled between 1964 and 2012 were analyzed. Four migrations from the Central Highlands to Mahajanga were detected. Two resulted in persistent transmission in humans, one was responsible for most of the human cases recorded between 1995 and 1999, while the other produced plague cases in 1991 and 1992. We dated the emergence of the Y. pestis sub-branch 1.ORI3, which is only present in Madagascar and Turkey, to the beginning of the 20th century, using a Bayesian molecular dating analysis. The split between 1.ORI3 and its ancestor lineage 1.ORI2 was dated to the second half of the 19th century. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE Our results indicate that two independent migrations from the Central Highlands caused the plague outbreaks in Mahajanga during the 1990s, with both introductions occurring during the early 1980s. They happened over a decade before the detection of human cases, thus the pathogen likely survived in wild reservoirs until the spillover to humans was possible. This study demonstrates the value of Bayesian phylogenetics in elucidating the re-emergence of infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Roger Esquivel Gomez
- Transmission, Infection, Diversification & Evolution Group (tide), Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology (formerly MPI for the Science of Human History), Jena, Germany
| | - Cyril Savin
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, Yersinia Research Unit, Paris, France
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, Yersinia National Reference Laboratory, Paris, France
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, WHO Collaborative Reference & Research Center for Plague FRA-140, Paris, France
| | | | - Soloandry Rahajandraibe
- Plague Unit, Central Laboratory for Plague, Institut Pasteur de Madagascar, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | | | - Zhemin Zhou
- Pasteurien College, Medical school of Soochow University, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
- Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom
| | - Arthur Kocher
- Transmission, Infection, Diversification & Evolution Group (tide), Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology (formerly MPI for the Science of Human History), Jena, Germany
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Xavier Didelot
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom
- Department of Statistics, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom
| | - Minoarisoa Rajerison
- Plague Unit, Central Laboratory for Plague, Institut Pasteur de Madagascar, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Denise Kühnert
- Transmission, Infection, Diversification & Evolution Group (tide), Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology (formerly MPI for the Science of Human History), Jena, Germany
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10
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Badillo-Sanchez DA, Jones DJL, Inskip SA, Scheib CL. Human Archaeological Dentin as Source of Polar and Less Polar Metabolites for Untargeted Metabolomic Research: The Case of Yersinia pestis. Metabolites 2023; 13:588. [PMID: 37233629 PMCID: PMC10223108 DOI: 10.3390/metabo13050588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Revised: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Metabolomic approaches, such as in clinical applications of living individuals, have shown potential use for solving questions regarding the past when applied to archaeological material. Here, we study for the first time the potential of this Omic approach as applied to metabolites extracted from archaeological human dentin. Dentin obtained from micro sampling the dental pulp of teeth of victims and non-victims of Yersinia pestis (plague) from a 6th century Cambridgeshire site are used to evaluate the potential use of such unique material for untargeted metabolomic studies on disease state through liquid chromatography hyphenated to high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS). Results show that small molecules of both likely endogenous and exogenous sources are preserved for a range of polar and less polar/apolar metabolites in archaeological dentin; however, untargeted metabolomic profiles show no clear differentiation between healthy and infected individuals in the small sample analysed (n = 20). This study discusses the potential of dentin as a source of small molecules for metabolomic assays and highlights: (1) the need for follow up research to optimise sampling protocols, (2) the requirements of studies with larger sample numbers and (3) the necessity of more databases to amplify the positive results achievable with this Omic technique in the archaeological sciences.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Donald J L Jones
- Leicester Cancer Research Centre, RKCSB, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK
- The Leicester van Geest MultiOmics Facility, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK
| | - Sarah A Inskip
- School of Archaeology and Ancient History, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK
| | - Christiana L Scheib
- Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, 51010 Tartu, Estonia
- McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3ER, UK
- St. John's College, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1TP, UK
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11
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Kolodziejek AM, Bearden SW, Maes S, Montenieri JM, Gage KL, Hovde CJ, Minnich SA. Yersinia pestis Δ ail Mutants Are Not Susceptible to Human Complement Bactericidal Activity in the Flea. Appl Environ Microbiol 2023; 89:e0124422. [PMID: 36744930 PMCID: PMC9973026 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01244-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Ail confers serum resistance in humans and is a critical virulence factor of Y. pestis, the causative agent of plague. Here, the contribution of Ail for Y. pestis survival in the flea vector was examined. Rat or human but not mouse sera were bactericidal against a Y. pestis Δail mutant at 28°C in vitro. Complement components deposited rapidly on the Y. pestis surface as measured by immunofluorescent microscopy. Ail reduced the amount of active C3b on the Y. pestis surface. Human sera retained bactericidal activity against a Y. pestis Δail mutant in the presence of mouse sera. However, in the flea vector, the serum protective properties of Ail were not required. Flea colonization studies using murine sera and Y. pestis KIM6+ wild type, a Δail mutant, and the Δail/ail+ control showed no differences in bacterial prevalence or numbers during the early stage of flea colonization. Similarly, flea studies with human blood showed Ail was not required for serum resistance. Finally, a variant of Ail (AilF100V E108_S109insS) from a human serum-sensitive Y. pestis subsp. microtus bv. Caucasica 1146 conferred resistance to human complement when expressed in the Y. pestis KIM6+ Δail mutant. This indicated that Ail activity was somehow blocked, most likely by lipooligosaccharide, in this serum sensitive strain. IMPORTANCE This work contributes to our understanding of how highly virulent Y. pestis evolved from its innocuous enteric predecessor. Among identified virulence factors is the attachment invasion locus protein, Ail, that is required to protect Y. pestis from serum complement in all mammals tested except mice. Murine sera is not bactericidal. In this study, we asked, is bactericidal sera from humans active in Y. pestis colonized fleas? We found it was not. The importance of this observation is that it identifies a protective niche for the growth of serum sensitive and nonsensitive Y. pestis strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna M. Kolodziejek
- Department of Animal, Veterinary and Food Science, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
| | - Scott W. Bearden
- Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Sarah Maes
- Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - John M. Montenieri
- Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Kenneth L. Gage
- Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Carolyn J. Hovde
- Department of Animal, Veterinary and Food Science, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
| | - Scott A. Minnich
- Department of Animal, Veterinary and Food Science, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
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12
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Historical and Modern Classifications of the Plague Agent. PROBLEMS OF PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS INFECTIONS 2023. [DOI: 10.21055/0370-1069-2022-4-14-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
Abstract
The review presents the data on domestic and foreign phenotypic classifications of Yersinia pestis strains developed in the XX century; genetic classifications of the XXI century; as well as on the genealogy of ancient strains of the plague microbe, reconstructed using paleogenomic technologies. Since the discovery of the plague agent in 1894, many classifications were created that corresponded to the level of development of microbiology at that time. The intraspecific classification schemes of the XX century were based on three principles: phenotypic differences between strains, features of the species composition of carriers, and geographical affiliation. With the development of molecular microbiology early on in the XXI century, a genetic nomenclature of the branches of the pathogen evolution was developed and a number of classifications based on the analysis of the population structure of Y. pestis were created. Through the prism of the genetic diversity of Y. pestis strains from natural plague foci in Russia, near and far abroad countries, an improved classification with a division into seven subspecies has been developed: pestis, tibetica, caucasica, qinghaica, angolica, central asiatica, ulegeica, which allocates the subspecies according to the phylogenetic principle and epidemic significance. With the advancements in paleomicrobiology, prehistoric lineages of evolution have been included in the genealogy of Y. pestis, which expand the data on the intraspecific diversity of the plague microbe.
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13
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Plagued by a cryptic clock: insight and issues from the global phylogeny of Yersinia pestis. Commun Biol 2023; 6:23. [PMID: 36658311 PMCID: PMC9852431 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-04394-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Plague has an enigmatic history as a zoonotic pathogen. This infectious disease will unexpectedly appear in human populations and disappear just as suddenly. As a result, a long-standing line of inquiry has been to estimate when and where plague appeared in the past. However, there have been significant disparities between phylogenetic studies of the causative bacterium, Yersinia pestis, regarding the timing and geographic origins of its reemergence. Here, we curate and contextualize an updated phylogeny of Y. pestis using 601 genome sequences sampled globally. Through a detailed Bayesian evaluation of temporal signal in subsets of these data we demonstrate that a Y. pestis-wide molecular clock is unstable. To resolve this, we developed a new approach in which each Y. pestis population was assessed independently, enabling us to recover substantial temporal signal in five populations, including the ancient pandemic lineages which we now estimate may have emerged decades, or even centuries, before a pandemic was historically documented from European sources. Despite this methodological advancement, we only obtain robust divergence dates from populations sampled over a period of at least 90 years, indicating that genetic evidence alone is insufficient for accurately reconstructing the timing and spread of short-term plague epidemics.
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14
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Yang R, Atkinson S, Chen Z, Cui Y, Du Z, Han Y, Sebbane F, Slavin P, Song Y, Yan Y, Wu Y, Xu L, Zhang C, Zhang Y, Hinnebusch BJ, Stenseth NC, Motin VL. Yersinia pestis and Plague: some knowns and unknowns. ZOONOSES (BURLINGTON, MASS.) 2023; 3:5. [PMID: 37602146 PMCID: PMC10438918 DOI: 10.15212/zoonoses-2022-0040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/22/2023]
Abstract
Since its first identification in 1894 during the third pandemic in Hong Kong, there has been significant progress of understanding the lifestyle of Yersinia pestis, the pathogen that is responsible for plague. Although we now have some understanding of the pathogen's physiology, genetics, genomics, evolution, gene regulation, pathogenesis and immunity, there are many unknown aspects of the pathogen and its disease development. Here, we focus on some of the knowns and unknowns relating to Y. pestis and plague. We notably focus on some key Y. pestis physiological and virulence traits that are important for its mammal-flea-mammal life cycle but also its emergence from the enteropathogen Yersinia pseudotuberculosis. Some aspects of the genetic diversity of Y. pestis, the distribution and ecology of plague as well as the medical countermeasures to protect our population are also provided. Lastly, we present some biosafety and biosecurity information related to Y. pestis and plague.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruifu Yang
- Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing 100071, China
| | - Steve Atkinson
- School of Life Sciences, Centre for Biomolecular Science, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Ziqi Chen
- Vanke School of Public Health, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Yujun Cui
- Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing 100071, China
| | - Zongmin Du
- Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing 100071, China
| | - Yanping Han
- Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing 100071, China
| | - Florent Sebbane
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur Lille, U1019-UMR 9017-CIIL-Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, F-59000 Lille, France
| | - Philip Slavin
- Division of History and Politics, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LJ, UK
| | - Yajun Song
- Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing 100071, China
| | - Yanfeng Yan
- Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing 100071, China
| | - Yarong Wu
- Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing 100071, China
| | - Lei Xu
- Vanke School of Public Health, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Chutian Zhang
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
| | - Yun Zhang
- Vanke School of Public Health, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - B. Joseph Hinnebusch
- Laboratory of Bacteriology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Hamilton, Montana, USA
| | - Nils Chr. Stenseth
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, N-0316 Oslo, Norway
| | - Vladimir L. Motin
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
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15
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Kinship practices in the early state El Argar society from Bronze Age Iberia. Sci Rep 2022; 12:22415. [PMID: 36575206 PMCID: PMC9794729 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-25975-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The Early Bronze Age in Europe is characterized by social and genetic transformations, starting in the early 3rd millennium BCE. New settlement and funerary structures, artifacts and techniques indicate times of change with increasing economic asymmetries and political hierarchization. Technological advances in metallurgy also played an important role, facilitating trade and exchange networks, which became tangible in higher levels of mobility and connectedness. Archeogenetic studies have revealed a substantial transformation of the genetic ancestry around this time, ultimately linked to the expansion of steppe- and forest steppe pastoralists from Eastern Europe. Evidence for emerging infectious diseases such as Yersinia pestis adds further complexity to these tumultuous and transformative times. The El Argar complex in southern Iberia marks the genetic turnover in southwestern Europe ~ 2200 BCE that accompanies profound changes in the socio-economic structure of the region. To answer the question of who was buried in the emblematic double burials of the El Argar site La Almoloya, we integrated results from biological relatedness analyses and archaeological funerary contexts and refined radiocarbon-based chronologies from 68 individuals. We find that the El Argar society was virilocally and patrilineally organized and practiced reciprocal female exogamy, supported by pedigrees that extend up to five generations along the paternal line. Synchronously dated adult males and females from double tombs were found to be unrelated mating partners, whereby the incoming females reflect socio-political alliances among El Argar groups. In three cases these unions had common offspring, while paternal half-siblings also indicate serial monogamy or polygyny.
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16
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Warinner C. An Archaeology of Microbes. JOURNAL OF ANTHROPOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2022. [DOI: 10.1086/721976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Christina Warinner
- Department of Anthropology, Harvard University, Cambridge MA, USA 02138, and Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany 04103
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17
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Hider J, Duggan AT, Klunk J, Eaton K, Long GS, Karpinski E, Giuffra V, Ventura L, Fornaciari A, Fornaciari G, Golding GB, Prowse TL, Poinar HN. Examining pathogen DNA recovery across the remains of a 14th century Italian friar (Blessed Sante) infected with Brucella melitensis. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PALEOPATHOLOGY 2022; 39:20-34. [PMID: 36174312 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2022.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2022] [Revised: 08/05/2022] [Accepted: 08/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate variation in ancient DNA recovery of Brucella melitensis, the causative agent of brucellosis, from multiple tissues belonging to one individual MATERIALS: 14 samples were analyzed from the mummified remains of the Blessed Sante, a 14 th century Franciscan friar from central Italy, with macroscopic diagnosis of probable brucellosis. METHODS Shotgun sequencing data from was examined to determine the presence of Brucella DNA. RESULTS Three of the 14 samples contained authentic ancient DNA, identified as belonging to B. melitensis. A genome (23.81X depth coverage, 0.98 breadth coverage) was recovered from a kidney stone. Nine of the samples contained reads classified as B. melitensis (7-169), but for many the data quality was insufficient to withstand our identification and authentication criteria. CONCLUSIONS We identified significant variation in the preservation and abundance of B. melitensis DNA present across multiple tissues, with calcified nodules yielding the highest number of authenticated reads. This shows how greatly sample selection can impact pathogen identification. SIGNIFICANCE Our results demonstrate variation in the preservation and recovery of pathogen DNA across tissues. This study highlights the importance of sample selection in the reconstruction of infectious disease burden and highlights the importance of a holistic approach to identifying disease. LIMITATIONS Study focuses on pathogen recovery in a single individual. SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH Further analysis of how sampling impacts aDNA recovery will improve pathogen aDNA recovery and advance our understanding of disease in past peoples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Hider
- McMaster Ancient DNA Centre, McMaster University, 1280 Main St W, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada; Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, 1280 Main St W, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada.
| | - Ana T Duggan
- McMaster Ancient DNA Centre, McMaster University, 1280 Main St W, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada; Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, 1280 Main St W, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - Jennifer Klunk
- McMaster Ancient DNA Centre, McMaster University, 1280 Main St W, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada; Department of Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main St W, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada; Daicel Arbor Biosciences, 5840 Interface Drive, Suite 101, Ann Arbor, MI 48103, USA
| | - Katherine Eaton
- McMaster Ancient DNA Centre, McMaster University, 1280 Main St W, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada; Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, 1280 Main St W, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - George S Long
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main St W, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - Emil Karpinski
- McMaster Ancient DNA Centre, McMaster University, 1280 Main St W, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada; Department of Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main St W, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - Valentina Giuffra
- Division of Paleopathology, Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, Medical School, via Roma 57, 56126 Pisa, PI, Italy
| | - Luca Ventura
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, Italy; Division of Pathology, San Salvatore Hospital, University of L'Aquila, Coppito, 67100 L'Aquila, AQ, Italy
| | - Antonio Fornaciari
- Division of Paleopathology, Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, Medical School, via Roma 57, 56126 Pisa, PI, Italy
| | - Gino Fornaciari
- Maria Luisa di Borbone Academy, Villa Borbone, viale dei Tigli 32, 55049 Viareggio, LU, Italy
| | - G Brian Golding
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main St W, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - Tracy L Prowse
- Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, 1280 Main St W, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - Hendrik N Poinar
- McMaster Ancient DNA Centre, McMaster University, 1280 Main St W, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada; Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, 1280 Main St W, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, McMaster University, 1280 Main St W, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L9, Canada
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18
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Nicklisch N, Ramsthaler F, Bunnefeld JH, Schulz G, Friedrich R, Alt KW, Meller H. Bioarchaeological investigations of the princely grave at Helmsdorf attesting to the violent death of an Early Bronze Age leader. Sci Rep 2022; 12:16139. [PMID: 36168035 PMCID: PMC9515160 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-20720-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The Helmsdorf "princely" tomb, excavated at the beginning of the twentieth century, is one of the most important archaeological discoveries dating from the Early Bronze Age in central Germany. In addition to the burial inventory, which points to an elevated social position of the deceased, a number of highly fragmented skeletal remains were preserved. Forensic anthropological investigation identified three distinctive bone defects, the surfaces of which were macromorphologically and microscopically examined in greater detail. Micro-CT analyses were also carried out. The results of all examinations suggested that the defects represented three perimortem injuries. The wound morphology was indicative of the use of a bladed weapon. The combination of injuries and their locations supported the assumption of a targeted use of force to kill. A comparison of Early Bronze Age weapons and tools with the bone lesions led to the identification of a type of weapon possibly used in the attack.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Nicklisch
- Center of Natural and Cultural Human History, Danube Private University, Förthofstraße 2, 3500, Krems-Stein, Austria.
| | - Frank Ramsthaler
- Institute of Legal Medicine, Saarland University, 66421, Homburg, Saar, Germany.
| | - Jan-Heinrich Bunnefeld
- State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology, Saxony-Anhalt - State Museum of Prehistory, Richard-Wagner-Str. 9, 06114, Halle, Saale, Germany
| | - Georg Schulz
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University Basel, Gewerbestraße 14, 4123, Allschwil, Switzerland
| | - Ronny Friedrich
- Curt-Engelhorn-Center Archaeometry, D6-3, 68159, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Kurt W Alt
- Center of Natural and Cultural Human History, Danube Private University, Förthofstraße 2, 3500, Krems-Stein, Austria.,Institute of Prehistory and Archaeological Science, University of Basel, Spalenring 145, 4055, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Harald Meller
- State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology, Saxony-Anhalt - State Museum of Prehistory, Richard-Wagner-Str. 9, 06114, Halle, Saale, Germany
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19
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Collen EJ, Johar AS, Teixeira JC, Llamas B. The immunogenetic impact of European colonization in the Americas. Front Genet 2022; 13:918227. [PMID: 35991555 PMCID: PMC9388791 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.918227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The introduction of pathogens originating from Eurasia into the Americas during early European contact has been associated with high mortality rates among Indigenous peoples, likely contributing to their historical and precipitous population decline. However, the biological impacts of imported infectious diseases and resulting epidemics, especially in terms of pathogenic effects on the Indigenous immunity, remain poorly understood and highly contentious to this day. Here, we examine multidisciplinary evidence underpinning colonization-related immune genetic change, providing contextualization from anthropological studies, paleomicrobiological evidence of contrasting host-pathogen coevolutionary histories, and the timings of disease emergence. We further summarize current studies examining genetic signals reflecting post-contact Indigenous population bottlenecks, admixture with European and other populations, and the putative effects of natural selection, with a focus on ancient DNA studies and immunity-related findings. Considering current genetic evidence, together with a population genetics theoretical approach, we show that post-contact Indigenous immune adaptation, possibly influenced by selection exerted by introduced pathogens, is highly complex and likely to be affected by multifactorial causes. Disentangling putative adaptive signals from those of genetic drift thus remains a significant challenge, highlighting the need for the implementation of population genetic approaches that model the short time spans and complex demographic histories under consideration. This review adds to current understandings of post-contact immunity evolution in Indigenous peoples of America, with important implications for bettering our understanding of human adaptation in the face of emerging infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evelyn Jane Collen
- Australian Centre for Ancient DNA, School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Angad Singh Johar
- Australian Centre for Ancient DNA, School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - João C. Teixeira
- Australian Centre for Ancient DNA, School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
- School of Culture History and Language, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
- Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (CABAH), School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Bastien Llamas
- Australian Centre for Ancient DNA, School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
- Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (CABAH), School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
- National Centre for Indigenous Genomics, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
- Telethon Kids Institute, Indigenous Genomics Research Group, Adelaide, SA, Australia
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20
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Neumann GU, Skourtanioti E, Burri M, Nelson EA, Michel M, Hiss AN, McGeorge PJP, Betancourt PP, Spyrou MA, Krause J, Stockhammer PW. Ancient Yersinia pestis and Salmonella enterica genomes from Bronze Age Crete. Curr Biol 2022; 32:3641-3649.e8. [PMID: 35882233 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.06.094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Revised: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
During the late 3rd millennium BCE, the Eastern Mediterranean and Near East witnessed societal changes in many regions, which are usually explained with a combination of social and climatic factors.1-4 However, recent archaeogenetic research forces us to rethink models regarding the role of infectious diseases in past societal trajectories.5 The plague bacterium Yersinia pestis, which was involved in some of the most destructive historical pandemics,5-8 circulated across Eurasia at least from the onset of the 3rd millennium BCE,9-13 but the challenging preservation of ancient DNA in warmer climates has restricted the identification of Y.pestis from this period to temperate climatic regions. As such, evidence from culturally prominent regions such as the Eastern Mediterranean is currently lacking. Here, we present genetic evidence for the presence of Y. pestis and Salmonella enterica, the causative agent of typhoid/enteric fever, from this period of transformation in Crete, detected at the cave site Hagios Charalambos. We reconstructed one Y. pestis genome that forms part of a now-extinct lineage of Y. pestis strains from the Late Neolithic and Bronze Age that were likely not yet adapted for transmission via fleas. Furthermore, we reconstructed two ancient S. enterica genomes from the Para C lineage, which cluster with contemporary strains that were likely not yet fully host adapted to humans. The occurrence of these two virulent pathogens at the end of the Early Minoan period in Crete emphasizes the necessity to re-introduce infectious diseases as an additional factor possibly contributing to the transformation of early complex societies in the Aegean and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gunnar U Neumann
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische Str. 10, 07745 Jena, Germany; Max Planck-Harvard Research Center for the Archaeoscience of the Ancient Mediterranean (MHAAM), Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Eirini Skourtanioti
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische Str. 10, 07745 Jena, Germany; Max Planck-Harvard Research Center for the Archaeoscience of the Ancient Mediterranean (MHAAM), Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Marta Burri
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische Str. 10, 07745 Jena, Germany; Swiss Ornithological Institute, Seerose 1, 6204 Sempach, Switzerland
| | - Elizabeth A Nelson
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische Str. 10, 07745 Jena, Germany; Department of Anthropology, University of Connecticut, 354 Mansfield Road, Storrs, CT 06269, USA
| | - Megan Michel
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische Str. 10, 07745 Jena, Germany; Max Planck-Harvard Research Center for the Archaeoscience of the Ancient Mediterranean (MHAAM), Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 10 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Alina N Hiss
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische Str. 10, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | | | - Philip P Betancourt
- Department of Art History and Archaeology, Temple University, 2001 N. 13(th) St., Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA
| | - Maria A Spyrou
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische Str. 10, 07745 Jena, Germany; Institute for Archaeological Sciences, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Hölderlinstr. 12, 72074 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Johannes Krause
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische Str. 10, 07745 Jena, Germany; Max Planck-Harvard Research Center for the Archaeoscience of the Ancient Mediterranean (MHAAM), Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Philipp W Stockhammer
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische Str. 10, 07745 Jena, Germany; Max Planck-Harvard Research Center for the Archaeoscience of the Ancient Mediterranean (MHAAM), Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Institute for Pre- and Protohistoric Archaeology and Archaeology of the Roman Provinces, Ludwig Maximilian University, Geschwister-Scholl-Platz 1, 80799 München, Germany.
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21
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Spyrou MA, Musralina L, Gnecchi Ruscone GA, Kocher A, Borbone PG, Khartanovich VI, Buzhilova A, Djansugurova L, Bos KI, Kühnert D, Haak W, Slavin P, Krause J. The source of the Black Death in fourteenth-century central Eurasia. Nature 2022; 606:718-724. [PMID: 35705810 PMCID: PMC9217749 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-04800-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The origin of the medieval Black Death pandemic (AD 1346-1353) has been a topic of continuous investigation because of the pandemic's extensive demographic impact and long-lasting consequences1,2. Until now, the most debated archaeological evidence potentially associated with the pandemic's initiation derives from cemeteries located near Lake Issyk-Kul of modern-day Kyrgyzstan1,3-9. These sites are thought to have housed victims of a fourteenth-century epidemic as tombstone inscriptions directly dated to 1338-1339 state 'pestilence' as the cause of death for the buried individuals9. Here we report ancient DNA data from seven individuals exhumed from two of these cemeteries, Kara-Djigach and Burana. Our synthesis of archaeological, historical and ancient genomic data shows a clear involvement of the plague bacterium Yersinia pestis in this epidemic event. Two reconstructed ancient Y. pestis genomes represent a single strain and are identified as the most recent common ancestor of a major diversification commonly associated with the pandemic's emergence, here dated to the first half of the fourteenth century. Comparisons with present-day diversity from Y. pestis reservoirs in the extended Tian Shan region support a local emergence of the recovered ancient strain. Through multiple lines of evidence, our data support an early fourteenth-century source of the second plague pandemic in central Eurasia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria A Spyrou
- Institute for Archaeological Sciences, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany.
| | - Lyazzat Musralina
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
- Laboratory of Population Genetics, Institute of Genetics and Physiology, Almaty, Kazakhstan
- Kazakh National University by al-Farabi, Almaty, Kazakhstan
| | - Guido A Gnecchi Ruscone
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
| | - Arthur Kocher
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
- Transmission, Infection, Diversification & Evolution Group, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
| | - Pier-Giorgio Borbone
- Department of Civilisations and Forms of Knowledge, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Valeri I Khartanovich
- Department of Physical Anthropology, Kunstkamera, Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography, Russian Academy of Sciences, St Petersburg, Russian Federation
| | - Alexandra Buzhilova
- Research Institute and Museum of Anthropology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Leyla Djansugurova
- Laboratory of Population Genetics, Institute of Genetics and Physiology, Almaty, Kazakhstan
| | - Kirsten I Bos
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
| | - Denise Kühnert
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
- Transmission, Infection, Diversification & Evolution Group, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
- European Virus Bioinformatics Center (EVBC), Jena, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Haak
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
| | - Philip Slavin
- Division of History, Heritage and Politics, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK.
| | - Johannes Krause
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany.
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22
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Kolodziejek AM, Hovde CJ, Minnich SA. Contributions of Yersinia pestis outer membrane protein Ail to plague pathogenesis. Curr Opin Infect Dis 2022; 35:188-195. [PMID: 35665712 PMCID: PMC9186061 DOI: 10.1097/qco.0000000000000830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Pathogenic Yersinia have been a productive model system for studying bacterial pathogenesis. Hallmark contributions of Yersinia research to medical microbiology are legion and include: (i) the first identification of the role of plasmids in virulence, (ii) the important mechanism of iron acquisition from the host, (iii) the first identification of bacterial surface proteins required for host cell invasion, (iv) the archetypical type III secretion system, and (v) elucidation of the role of genomic reduction in the evolutionary trajectory from a fairly innocuous pathogen to a highly virulent species. RECENT FINDINGS The outer membrane (OM) protein Ail (attachment invasion locus) was identified over 30 years ago as an invasin-like protein. Recent work on Ail continues to provide insights into Gram-negative pathogenesis. This review is a synopsis of the role of Ail in invasion, serum resistance, OM stability, thermosensing, and vaccine development. SUMMARY Ail is shown to be an essential virulence factor with multiple roles in pathogenesis. The recent adaptation of Yersinia pestis to high virulence, which included genomic reduction to eliminate redundant protein functions, is a model to understand the emergence of new bacterial pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna M. Kolodziejek
- Department of Animal, Veterinary, and Food Science, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
| | - Carolyn J. Hovde
- Department of Animal, Veterinary, and Food Science, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
| | - Scott A. Minnich
- Department of Animal, Veterinary, and Food Science, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
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23
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Emergence and spread of ancestral Yersinia pestis in Late-Neolithic and Bronze-Age Eurasia, ca. 5,000 to 1,500 y B.P. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2204044119. [PMID: 35580179 PMCID: PMC9172127 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2204044119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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24
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Stone Age Yersinia pestis genomes shed light on the early evolution, diversity, and ecology of plague. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2116722119. [PMID: 35412864 PMCID: PMC9169917 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2116722119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The bacterium Yersinia pestis has caused numerous historically documented outbreaks of plague and research using ancient DNA could demonstrate that it already affected human populations during the Neolithic. However, the pathogen’s genetic diversity, geographic spread, and transmission dynamics during this early period of Y. pestis evolution are largely unexplored. Here, we describe a set of ancient plague genomes up to 5,000 y old from across Eurasia. Our data demonstrate that two genetically distinct forms of Y. pestis evolved in parallel and were both distributed across vast geographic distances, potentially occupying different ecological niches. Interpreted within the archeological context, our results suggest that the spread of plague during this period was linked to increased human mobility and intensification of animal husbandry. The bacterial pathogen Yersinia pestis gave rise to devastating outbreaks throughout human history, and ancient DNA evidence has shown it afflicted human populations as far back as the Neolithic. Y. pestis genomes recovered from the Eurasian Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age (LNBA) period have uncovered key evolutionary steps that led to its emergence from a Yersinia pseudotuberculosis-like progenitor; however, the number of reconstructed LNBA genomes are too few to explore its diversity during this critical period of development. Here, we present 17 Y. pestis genomes dating to 5,000 to 2,500 y BP from a wide geographic expanse across Eurasia. This increased dataset enabled us to explore correlations between temporal, geographical, and genetic distance. Our results suggest a nonflea-adapted and potentially extinct single lineage that persisted over millennia without significant parallel diversification, accompanied by rapid dispersal across continents throughout this period, a trend not observed in other pathogens for which ancient genomes are available. A stepwise pattern of gene loss provides further clues on its early evolution and potential adaptation. We also discover the presence of the flea-adapted form of Y. pestis in Bronze Age Iberia, previously only identified in in the Caucasus and the Volga regions, suggesting a much wider geographic spread of this form of Y. pestis. Together, these data reveal the dynamic nature of plague’s formative years in terms of its early evolution and ecology.
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25
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Small Insertions and Deletions Drive Genomic Plasticity during Adaptive Evolution of Yersinia pestis. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0224221. [PMID: 35438532 PMCID: PMC9248902 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.02242-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The life cycle of Yersinia pestis has changed a lot to adapt to flea-borne transmission since it evolved from an enteric pathogen, Yersinia pseudotuberculosis. Small insertions and deletions (indels), especially frameshift mutations, can have major effects on phenotypes and contribute to virulence and host adaptation through gene disruption and inactivation. Here, we analyzed 365 Y. pestis genomes and identified 2,092 genome-wide indels on the core genome. As recently reported in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, we also detected "indel pockets" in Y. pestis, with average complexity scores declining around indel positions, which we speculate might also exist in other prokaryotes. Phylogenic analysis showed that indel-based phylogenic tree could basically reflect the phylogenetic relationships of major phylogroups in Y. pestis, except some inconsistency around the Big Bang polytomy. We observed 83 indels arising in the trunk of the phylogeny, which played a role in accumulation of pseudogenes related to key metabolism and putatively pathogenicity. We also discovered 32 homoplasies at the level of phylogroups and 7 frameshift scars (i.e., disrupted reading frame being rescued by a second frameshift). Additionally, our analysis showed evidence of parallel evolution at the level of genes, with sspA, rpoS, rnd, and YPO0624, having enriched mutations in Brazilian isolates, which might be advantageous for Y. pestis to cope with fluctuating environments. The diversified selection signals observed here demonstrates that indels are important contributors to the adaptive evolution of Y. pestis. Meanwhile, we provide potential targets for further exploration, as some genes/pseudogenes with indels we focus on remain uncharacterized. IMPORTANCE Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of plague, is a highly pathogenic clone of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis. Previous genome-wide SNP analysis provided few adaptive signatures during its evolution. Here by investigating 365 public genomes of Y. pestis, we give a comprehensive overview of general features of genome-wide indels on the core genome and their roles in Y. pestis evolution. Detection of "indel pockets," with average complexity scores declining around indel positions, in both Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Y. pestis, gives us a clue that this phenomenon might appear in other bacterial genomes. Importantly, the identification of four different forms of selection signals in indels would improve our understanding on adaptive evolution of Y. pestis, and provide targets for further physiological mechanism researches of this pathogen. As evolutionary research based on genome-wide indels is still rare in bacteria, our study would be a helpful reference in deciphering the role of indels in other species.
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26
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Preventive Measures against Pandemics from the Beginning of Civilization to Nowadays—How Everything Has Remained the Same over the Millennia. J Clin Med 2022; 11:jcm11071960. [PMID: 35407571 PMCID: PMC8999828 DOI: 10.3390/jcm11071960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2022] [Revised: 03/29/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
As of 27 March 2022, the β-coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has infected more than 487 million individuals worldwide, causing more than 6.14 million deaths. SARS-CoV-2 spreads through close contact, causing the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); thus, emergency lockdowns have been implemented worldwide to avoid its spread. COVID-19 is not the first infectious disease that humankind has had to face during its history. Indeed, humans have recurrently been threatened by several emerging pathogens that killed a substantial fraction of the population. Historical sources document that as early as between the 10th and the 6th centuries BCE, the authorities prescribed physical–social isolation, physical distancing, and quarantine of the infected subjects until the end of the disease, measures that strongly resemble containment measures taken nowadays. In this review, we show a historical and literary overview of different epidemic diseases and how the recommendations in the pre-vaccine era were, and still are, effective in containing the contagion.
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27
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Abstract
Like modern metagenomics, ancient metagenomics is a highly data-rich discipline, with the added challenge that the DNA of interest is degraded and, depending on the sample type, in low abundance. This requires the application of specialized measures during molecular experiments and computational analyses. Furthermore, researchers often work with finite sample sizes, which impedes optimal experimental design and control of confounding factors, and with ethically sensitive samples necessitating the consideration of additional guidelines. In September 2020, early career researchers in the field of ancient metagenomics met (Standards, Precautions & Advances in Ancient Metagenomics 2 [SPAAM2] community meeting) to discuss the state of the field and how to address current challenges. Here, in an effort to bridge the gap between ancient and modern metagenomics, we highlight and reflect upon some common misconceptions, provide a brief overview of the challenges in our field, and point toward useful resources for potential reviewers and newcomers to the field.
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28
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Rodríguez-Frías F, Quer J, Tabernero D, Cortese MF, Garcia-Garcia S, Rando-Segura A, Pumarola T. Microorganisms as Shapers of Human Civilization, from Pandemics to Even Our Genomes: Villains or Friends? A Historical Approach. Microorganisms 2021; 9:2518. [PMID: 34946123 PMCID: PMC8708650 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9122518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Revised: 11/23/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Universal history is characterized by continuous evolution, in which civilizations are born and die. This evolution is associated with multiple factors, among which the role of microorganisms is often overlooked. Viruses and bacteria have written or decisively contributed to terrible episodes of history, such as the Black Death in 14th century Europe, the annihilation of pre-Columbian American civilizations, and pandemics such as the 1918 Spanish flu or the current COVID-19 pandemic caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Nevertheless, it is clear that we could not live in a world without these tiny beings. Endogenous retroviruses have been key to our evolution and for the regulation of gene expression, and the gut microbiota helps us digest compounds that we could not otherwise process. In addition, we have used microorganisms to preserve or prepare food for millennia and more recently to obtain drugs such as antibiotics or to develop recombinant DNA technologies. Due to the enormous importance of microorganisms for our survival, they have significantly influenced the population genetics of different human groups. This paper will review the role of microorganisms as "villains" who have been responsible for tremendous mortality throughout history but also as "friends" who help us survive and evolve.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Rodríguez-Frías
- Clinical Biochemistry Research Group, Department of Biochemistry, Vall d’Hebron Institut Recerca-Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08035 Barcelona, Spain; (M.F.C.); (S.G.-G.)
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain;
- Liver Pathology Unit, Departments of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08035 Barcelona, Spain;
| | - Josep Quer
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain;
- Liver Unit, Liver Disease Laboratory-Viral Hepatitis, Vall d’Hebron Institut Recerca, Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron, Vall d’Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus, 08035 Barcelona, Spain
| | - David Tabernero
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain;
| | - Maria Francesca Cortese
- Clinical Biochemistry Research Group, Department of Biochemistry, Vall d’Hebron Institut Recerca-Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08035 Barcelona, Spain; (M.F.C.); (S.G.-G.)
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain;
| | - Selene Garcia-Garcia
- Clinical Biochemistry Research Group, Department of Biochemistry, Vall d’Hebron Institut Recerca-Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08035 Barcelona, Spain; (M.F.C.); (S.G.-G.)
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain;
| | - Ariadna Rando-Segura
- Liver Pathology Unit, Departments of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08035 Barcelona, Spain;
- Department of Microbiology, Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron, Vall d’Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus, Passeig Vall d’Hebron 119-129, 08035 Barcelona, Spain;
| | - Tomas Pumarola
- Department of Microbiology, Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron, Vall d’Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus, Passeig Vall d’Hebron 119-129, 08035 Barcelona, Spain;
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29
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Calvignac-Spencer S, Düx A, Gogarten JF, Patrono LV. Molecular archeology of human viruses. Adv Virus Res 2021; 111:31-61. [PMID: 34663498 DOI: 10.1016/bs.aivir.2021.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The evolution of human-virus associations is usually reconstructed from contemporary patterns of genomic diversity. An intriguing, though still rarely implemented, alternative is to search for the genetic material of viruses in archeological and medical archive specimens to document evolution as it happened. In this chapter, we present lessons from ancient DNA research and incorporate insights from virology to explore the potential range of applications and likely limitations of archeovirological approaches. We also highlight the numerous questions archeovirology will hopefully allow us to tackle in the near future, and the main expected roadblocks to these avenues of research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sébastien Calvignac-Spencer
- Epidemiology of Highly Pathogenic Microorganisms, Robert Koch-Institute, Berlin, Germany; Viral Evolution, Robert Koch-Institute, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Ariane Düx
- Epidemiology of Highly Pathogenic Microorganisms, Robert Koch-Institute, Berlin, Germany; Viral Evolution, Robert Koch-Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jan F Gogarten
- Epidemiology of Highly Pathogenic Microorganisms, Robert Koch-Institute, Berlin, Germany; Viral Evolution, Robert Koch-Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - Livia V Patrono
- Epidemiology of Highly Pathogenic Microorganisms, Robert Koch-Institute, Berlin, Germany
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30
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Acquisition of yersinia murine toxin enabled Yersinia pestis to expand the range of mammalian hosts that sustain flea-borne plague. PLoS Pathog 2021; 17:e1009995. [PMID: 34648607 PMCID: PMC8547695 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2021] [Revised: 10/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Yersinia murine toxin (Ymt) is a phospholipase D encoded on a plasmid acquired by Yersinia pestis after its recent divergence from a Yersinia pseudotuberculosis progenitor. Despite its name, Ymt is not required for virulence but acts to enhance bacterial survival in the flea digestive tract. Certain Y. pestis strains circulating in the Bronze Age lacked Ymt, suggesting that they were not transmitted by fleas. However, we show that the importance of Ymt varies with host blood source. In accordance with the original description, Ymt greatly enhanced Y. pestis survival in fleas infected with bacteremic mouse, human, or black rat blood. In contrast, Ymt was much less important when fleas were infected using brown rat blood. A Y. pestis Ymt- mutant infected fleas nearly as well as the Ymt+ parent strain after feeding on bacteremic brown rat blood, and the mutant was transmitted efficiently by flea bite during the first weeks after infection. The protective function of Ymt correlated with red blood cell digestion kinetics in the flea gut. Thus, early Y. pestis strains that lacked Ymt could have been maintained in flea-brown rat transmission cycles, and perhaps in other hosts with similar blood characteristics. Acquisition of Ymt, however, served to greatly expand the range of hosts that could support flea-borne plague.
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31
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Rio J, Quilodrán CS, Currat M. Spatially explicit paleogenomic simulations support cohabitation with limited admixture between Bronze Age Central European populations. Commun Biol 2021; 4:1163. [PMID: 34621003 PMCID: PMC8497574 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02670-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The Bronze Age is a complex period of social, cultural and economic changes. Recent paleogenomic studies have documented a large and rapid genetic change in early Bronze Age populations from Central Europe. However, the detailed demographic and genetic processes involved in this change are still debated. Here we have used spatially explicit simulations of genomic components to better characterize the demographic and migratory conditions that may have led to this change. We investigated various scenarios representing the expansion of pastoralists from the Pontic steppe, potentially linked to the Yamnaya cultural complex, and their interactions with local populations in Central Europe, considering various eco-evolutionary factors, such as population admixture, competition and long-distance dispersal. Our results do not support direct competition but rather the cohabitation of pastoralists and farmers in Central Europe, with limited gene flow between populations. They also suggest occasional long-distance migrations accompanying the expansion of pastoralists and a demographic decline in both populations following their initial contact. These results link recent archaeological and paleogenomic observations and move further the debate of genomic changes during the early Bronze Age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jérémy Rio
- Department of Genetics and Evolution - Anthropology Unit, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Claudio S Quilodrán
- Department of Genetics and Evolution - Anthropology Unit, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Mathias Currat
- Department of Genetics and Evolution - Anthropology Unit, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
- Institute of Genetics and Genomics in Geneva (IGE3), University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
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de-Dios T, Carrión P, Olalde I, Llovera Nadal L, Lizano E, Pàmies D, Marques-Bonet T, Balloux F, van Dorp L, Lalueza-Fox C. Salmonella enterica from a soldier from the 1652 siege of Barcelona (Spain) supports historical transatlantic epidemic contacts. iScience 2021; 24:103021. [PMID: 34527890 PMCID: PMC8430385 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.103021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2021] [Revised: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Ancient pathogen genomics is an emerging field allowing reconstruction of past epidemics. The demise of post-contact American populations may, at least in part, have been caused by paratyphoid fever brought by Europeans. We retrieved genome-wide data from two Spanish soldiers who were besieging the city of Barcelona in 1652, during the Reapers' War. Their ancestry derived from the Basque region and Sardinia, respectively, (at that time, this island belonged to the Spanish kingdom). Despite the proposed plague epidemic, we could not find solid evidence for the presence of the causative plague agent in these individuals. However, we retrieved from one individual a substantial fraction of the Salmonella enterica serovar Paratyphi C lineage linked to paratyphoid fever in colonial period Mexico. Our results support a growing body of evidence that Paratyphi C enteric fever was more prevalent in Europe and the Americas in the past than it is today.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toni de-Dios
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-UPF), 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Pablo Carrión
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-UPF), 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Iñigo Olalde
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-UPF), 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Esther Lizano
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-UPF), 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Dídac Pàmies
- Antequem. Arqueologia-Patrimoni Cultural, 08301 Mataró, Spain
| | - Tomas Marques-Bonet
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-UPF), 08003 Barcelona, Spain
- Catalan Institution of Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), 08010 Barcelona, Spain
- CNAG-CRG, Centre for Genomic Regulation, Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), 08028 Barcelona, Spain
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
| | - François Balloux
- UCL Genetics Institute, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Lucy van Dorp
- UCL Genetics Institute, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
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Serrano JG, Ordóñez AC, Fregel R. Paleogenomics of the prehistory of Europe: human migrations, domestication and disease. Ann Hum Biol 2021; 48:179-190. [PMID: 34459342 DOI: 10.1080/03014460.2021.1942205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
A substantial portion of ancient DNA research has been centred on understanding European populations' origin and evolution. A rchaeological evidence has already shown that the peopling of Europe involved an intricate pattern of demic and/or cultural diffusion since the Upper Palaeolithic, which became more evident during the Neolithic and Bronze Age periods. However, ancient DNA data has been crucial in determining if cultural changes occurred due to the movement of ideas or people. With the advent of next-generation sequencing and population-based paleogenomic research, ancient DNA studies have been directed not only at the study of continental human migrations, but also to the detailed analysis of particular archaeological sites, the processes of domestication, or the spread of disease during prehistoric times. With this vast paleogenomic effort added to a proper archaeological contextualisation of results, a deeper understanding of Europe's peopling is starting to emanate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier G Serrano
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Microbiología, Biología Celular y Genética, Faculta de Ciencias, Universidad de La Laguna, La Laguna, Spain
| | - Alejandra C Ordóñez
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Microbiología, Biología Celular y Genética, Faculta de Ciencias, Universidad de La Laguna, La Laguna, Spain.,Departamento Geografía e Historia, Facultad de Humanidades, Universidad de La Laguna, La Laguna, Spain
| | - Rosa Fregel
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Microbiología, Biología Celular y Genética, Faculta de Ciencias, Universidad de La Laguna, La Laguna, Spain
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Valiakos E, Marselos M, Grafakou ME, Skaltsa H, Sakellaridis N. Remedies of animal origin and their indications in Nikolaos Myrepsos׳ Dynameron. JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY 2021; 276:114191. [PMID: 33971302 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2021.114191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2020] [Revised: 04/30/2021] [Accepted: 05/03/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Dynameron is a Byzantine medical compendium, divided into 24 sections, in accordance with the letters of the Greek alphabet. Being the largest medical and pharmaceutical book ever written in Byzantium, Dynameron contains 2667 recipes intended to treat many pathological conditions. A lot of information convey to us through prescriptions. In addition to plants, Nikolaos Myrepsos proposes the use of many animals, animal parts and animal by-products, for the treatment of various diseases. This article presents for the first time a full account of the animal products included in Dynameron. AIM OF THE STUDY In continuation to our previous studies, this paper focuses on the use of animal products in composite medicines described in Dynameron. An effort was made to trace down the use of similar or identical animal products in texts of earlier medical writers. Recording recipes with animals or animal products intended for use in everyday medical practice highlights the timeless belief in their healing properties. MATERIALS AND METHODS Our main source of material is the recent digital edition of Nikolaos Myrepsos' Dynameron. This huge treatise was written in the 13th century and reflects in many ways the long medical tradition of the Greek, the Hellenistic and the Roman eras, having also received influences from the materia medica of Arabic medicine. In addition, information from dictionaries and databases were cross-checked to confirm and classify the animals and their products and to identify them. For the various pathological conditions these products are meant for, we have used the current medical terminology. RESULTS In the present study, we could identify the therapeutic use of 93 animals. In several instances, Myrepsos suggests the use of specific organs of an animal, and for that reason he includes in his treatise 16 anatomical parts of different animals. Moreover, Dynameron comprises also 34 animal by-products, such as milk and honey. Medicines of animal origin are used in recipes concerning diseases of the respiratory, the digestive, the cardiovascular and the urinary system, as well as gynecological diseases, and ailments of the eyes, the ears and the skin. CONCLUSIONS Of the 2667 recipes of Dynameron, 344 recipes contain medicines of animal origin, which can be detected in totally 769 citations. In addition, 626 citations for animal by-products are found in 268 recipes. Honey and milk are quoted in 2136 recipes, mostly as excipients. Dietary instructions are present on many occasions, reflecting the attitude for a healthy everyday life, similar to the modern beliefs pertaining to food as an essential factor for a good health.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Valiakos
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Viopolis, 41500, Larissa, Greece.
| | - M Marselos
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical Faculty, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina, 451 10, Ioannina, Greece
| | - M E Grafakou
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Chemistry of Natural Products, Faculty of Pharmacy, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis Zografou, 15771, Athens, Greece
| | - H Skaltsa
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Chemistry of Natural Products, Faculty of Pharmacy, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis Zografou, 15771, Athens, Greece
| | - N Sakellaridis
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Viopolis, 41500, Larissa, Greece
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Rotival M, Cossart P, Quintana-Murci L. Reconstructing 50,000 years of human history from our DNA: lessons from modern genomics. C R Biol 2021; 344:177-187. [PMID: 34213855 DOI: 10.5802/crbiol.55] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The advent of high throughput sequencing approaches and ancient DNA techniques have enabled reconstructing the history of human populations at an unprecedented level of resolution. The symposium from the French Academy of Sciences "50,000 ans d'épopée humaine dans notre ADN" has reviewed some of the latest contributions from the fields of genomics, archaeology, and linguistics to our understanding of >300,000 years of human history. DNA has revealed the richness of the human journey, from the deep divergences between human populations in Africa, to the first encounters of Homo Sapiens with other hominins on their way to Eurasia and the peopling of Remote Oceania. The symposium has also emphasized how migrations, cultural practices, and environmental pathogens have contributed to shape the genetic diversity of modern humans, through admixture, genetic drift or genetic adaptation. Finally, special attention was also given to how human behaviours have shaped the genome of other species, through the spreading of microbes and pathogens, as in the case of Yersinia Pestis, or through domestication, as elegantly demonstrated for dogs, horses, and apples. Altogether, this conference illustrated how the complex history of human populations is tightly linked with their contemporary genetic diversity that, in turn, has direct effects on their identity and health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxime Rotival
- Human Evolutionary Genetics Unit, Institut Pasteur, UMR 2000, CNRS, Paris 75015, France
| | - Pascale Cossart
- Bacteria/Cell Interactions Unit, Institut Pasteur, U604, Inserm, Paris 75015, France
| | - Lluis Quintana-Murci
- Chair of Human Genomics and Evolution, Collège de France, Paris, 75005, France.,Human Evolutionary Genetics Unit, Institut Pasteur, UMR 2000, CNRS, Paris 75015, France
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Susat J, Lübke H, Immel A, Brinker U, Macāne A, Meadows J, Steer B, Tholey A, Zagorska I, Gerhards G, Schmölcke U, Kalniņš M, Franke A, Pētersone-Gordina E, Teßman B, Tõrv M, Schreiber S, Andree C, Bērziņš V, Nebel A, Krause-Kyora B. A 5,000-year-old hunter-gatherer already plagued by Yersinia pestis. Cell Rep 2021; 35:109278. [PMID: 34192537 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Revised: 12/18/2020] [Accepted: 05/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
A 5,000-year-old Yersinia pestis genome (RV 2039) is reconstructed from a hunter-fisher-gatherer (5300-5050 cal BP) buried at Riņņukalns, Latvia. RV 2039 is the first in a series of ancient strains that evolved shortly after the split of Y. pestis from its antecessor Y. pseudotuberculosis ∼7,000 years ago. The genomic and phylogenetic characteristics of RV 2039 are consistent with the hypothesis that this very early Y. pestis form was most likely less transmissible and maybe even less virulent than later strains. Our data do not support the scenario of a prehistoric pneumonic plague pandemic, as suggested previously for the Neolithic decline. The geographical and temporal distribution of the few prehistoric Y. pestis cases reported so far is more in agreement with single zoonotic events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian Susat
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, Rosalind-Franklin-Str. 12, 24105 Kiel, Germany
| | - Harald Lübke
- Centre for Baltic and Scandinavian Archaeology (ZBSA), Schleswig-Holstein State Museums Foundation Schloss Gottorf, Schlossinsel 1, 24837 Schleswig, Germany
| | - Alexander Immel
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, Rosalind-Franklin-Str. 12, 24105 Kiel, Germany
| | - Ute Brinker
- Centre for Baltic and Scandinavian Archaeology (ZBSA), Schleswig-Holstein State Museums Foundation Schloss Gottorf, Schlossinsel 1, 24837 Schleswig, Germany
| | - Aija Macāne
- Department of Historical Studies, University of Gothenburg, PO Box 200, SE405 30 Göteborg, Sweden
| | - John Meadows
- Centre for Baltic and Scandinavian Archaeology (ZBSA), Schleswig-Holstein State Museums Foundation Schloss Gottorf, Schlossinsel 1, 24837 Schleswig, Germany; Leibniz Laboratory for AMS Dating and Isotope Research, Kiel University, Max-Eyth-Str. 11-13, 24118 Kiel, Germany
| | - Britta Steer
- Systematic Proteomics & Bioanalytics, Institute for Experimental Medicine, Kiel University, Niemannsweg 11, 24105 Kiel, Germany
| | - Andreas Tholey
- Systematic Proteomics & Bioanalytics, Institute for Experimental Medicine, Kiel University, Niemannsweg 11, 24105 Kiel, Germany
| | - Ilga Zagorska
- Institute of Latvian History, University of Latvia, Kalpaka bulv. 4, 1050 Riga, Latvia
| | - Guntis Gerhards
- Institute of Latvian History, University of Latvia, Kalpaka bulv. 4, 1050 Riga, Latvia
| | - Ulrich Schmölcke
- Centre for Baltic and Scandinavian Archaeology (ZBSA), Schleswig-Holstein State Museums Foundation Schloss Gottorf, Schlossinsel 1, 24837 Schleswig, Germany
| | - Mārcis Kalniņš
- Institute of Latvian History, University of Latvia, Kalpaka bulv. 4, 1050 Riga, Latvia
| | - Andre Franke
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, Rosalind-Franklin-Str. 12, 24105 Kiel, Germany
| | | | - Barbara Teßman
- Berlin Society of Anthropology, Ethnology and Prehistory, c/o Museum of Pre- and Protohistory, Geschwister-Scholl-Str. 6, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Mari Tõrv
- Department of Archaeology, Institute of History and Archaeology, University of Tartu, Jakobi 2, 51005 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Stefan Schreiber
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, Rosalind-Franklin-Str. 12, 24105 Kiel, Germany; Department of General Internal Medicine, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel University, Rosalind-Franklin-Str. 12, 24105 Kiel, Germany
| | - Christian Andree
- Research Center of Medical History, Kiel University, Breiter Weg 10, 24105 Kiel, Germany
| | - Valdis Bērziņš
- Institute of Latvian History, University of Latvia, Kalpaka bulv. 4, 1050 Riga, Latvia
| | - Almut Nebel
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, Rosalind-Franklin-Str. 12, 24105 Kiel, Germany
| | - Ben Krause-Kyora
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, Rosalind-Franklin-Str. 12, 24105 Kiel, Germany.
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New insights into human immunity from ancient genomics. Curr Opin Immunol 2021; 72:116-125. [PMID: 33992907 PMCID: PMC8452260 DOI: 10.1016/j.coi.2021.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Revised: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 04/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Population genetic studies have clearly indicated that immunity and host defense are among the functions most frequently subject to natural selection, and increased our understanding of the biological relevance of the corresponding genes and their contribution to variable immune traits and diseases. Herein, we will focus on some recently studied forms of human adaptation to infectious agents, including hybridization with now-extinct hominins, such as Neanderthals and Denisovans, and admixture between modern human populations. These studies, which are partly enabled by the technological advances in the sequencing of DNA from ancient remains, provide new insight into the sources of immune response variation in contemporary humans, such as the recently reported link between Neanderthal heritage and susceptibility to severe COVID-19 disease. Furthermore, ancient DNA analyses, in both humans and pathogens, allow to measure the action of natural selection on immune genes across time and to reconstruct the impact of past epidemics on the evolution of human immunity.
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Seguin-Orlando A, Costedoat C, Der Sarkissian C, Tzortzis S, Kamel C, Telmon N, Dalén L, Thèves C, Signoli M, Orlando L. No particular genomic features underpin the dramatic economic consequences of 17 th century plague epidemics in Italy. iScience 2021; 24:102383. [PMID: 33981971 PMCID: PMC8082092 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.102383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Revised: 02/25/2021] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 10/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The 17th century plague epidemic had a particularly strong demographic toll in Southern Europe, especially Italy, where it caused long-lasting economical damage. Whether this resulted from ineffective sanitation measures or more pathogenic Yersinia pestis strains remains unknown. DNA screening of 26 skeletons from the 1629-1630 plague cemetery of Lariey (French Alps) identified two teeth rich in plague genetic material. Further sequencing revealed two Y. pestis genomes phylogenetically closest to those from the 1636 outbreak of San Procolo a Naturno, Italy. They both belonged to a cluster extending from the Alps to Northern Germany that probably propagated during the Thirty Years war. Sequence variation did not support faster evolutionary rates in the Italian genomes and revealed only rare private non-synonymous mutations not affecting virulence genes. This, and the more heterogeneous spatial diffusion of the epidemic outside Italy, suggests environmental or social rather than biological causes for the severe Italian epidemic trajectory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andaine Seguin-Orlando
- Centre for Anthropobiology and Genomics of Toulouse CAGT, UMR 5288, CNRS, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, Faculté de Médecine Purpan, Bâtiment A, 37 allées Jules Guesde, 31000 Toulouse, France
- Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse IAST, Université Toulouse I Capitole, Esplanade de l’Université, 31080 Toulouse cedex 06, France
| | - Caroline Costedoat
- Anthropologie bio-culturelle, droit, éthique et santé ADES, UMR 7268 CNRS EFS, Aix-Marseille Université, Faculté de Médecine, Secteur Nord Bâtiment A CS80011, Boulevard Pierre Dramard, 13344 Marseille Cedex 15, France
| | - Clio Der Sarkissian
- Centre for Anthropobiology and Genomics of Toulouse CAGT, UMR 5288, CNRS, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, Faculté de Médecine Purpan, Bâtiment A, 37 allées Jules Guesde, 31000 Toulouse, France
| | - Stéfan Tzortzis
- Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication, Direction Régionale des Affaires Culturelles de PACA, Service Régional de l’Archéologie, 23 bd du Roi René, 13617 Aix-en-Provence cedex, France
| | - Célia Kamel
- Anthropologie bio-culturelle, droit, éthique et santé ADES, UMR 7268 CNRS EFS, Aix-Marseille Université, Faculté de Médecine, Secteur Nord Bâtiment A CS80011, Boulevard Pierre Dramard, 13344 Marseille Cedex 15, France
| | - Norbert Telmon
- Centre for Anthropobiology and Genomics of Toulouse CAGT, UMR 5288, CNRS, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, Faculté de Médecine Purpan, Bâtiment A, 37 allées Jules Guesde, 31000 Toulouse, France
| | - Love Dalén
- Centre for Palaeogenetics, Svante Arrhenius väg 20C, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Box 50007, 10405 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Catherine Thèves
- Centre for Anthropobiology and Genomics of Toulouse CAGT, UMR 5288, CNRS, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, Faculté de Médecine Purpan, Bâtiment A, 37 allées Jules Guesde, 31000 Toulouse, France
| | - Michel Signoli
- Anthropologie bio-culturelle, droit, éthique et santé ADES, UMR 7268 CNRS EFS, Aix-Marseille Université, Faculté de Médecine, Secteur Nord Bâtiment A CS80011, Boulevard Pierre Dramard, 13344 Marseille Cedex 15, France
| | - Ludovic Orlando
- Centre for Anthropobiology and Genomics of Toulouse CAGT, UMR 5288, CNRS, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, Faculté de Médecine Purpan, Bâtiment A, 37 allées Jules Guesde, 31000 Toulouse, France
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Haller M, Callan K, Susat J, Flux AL, Immel A, Franke A, Herbig A, Krause J, Kupczok A, Fouquet G, Hummel S, Rieger D, Nebel A, Krause-Kyora B. Mass burial genomics reveals outbreak of enteric paratyphoid fever in the Late Medieval trade city Lübeck. iScience 2021; 24:102419. [PMID: 33997698 PMCID: PMC8100618 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.102419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Revised: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Medieval Europe was repeatedly affected by outbreaks of infectious diseases, some of which reached epidemic proportions. A Late Medieval mass burial next to the Heiligen-Geist-Hospital in Lübeck (present-day Germany) contained the skeletal remains of more than 800 individuals who had presumably died from infectious disease. From 92 individuals, we screened the ancient DNA extracts for the presence of pathogens to determine the cause of death. Metagenomic analysis revealed evidence of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Paratyphi C, suggesting an outbreak of enteric paratyphoid fever. Three reconstructed S. Paratyphi C genomes showed close similarity to a strain from Norway (1200 CE). Radiocarbon dates placed the disease outbreak in Lübeck between 1270 and 1400 cal CE, with historical records indicating 1367 CE as the most probable year. The deceased were of northern and eastern European descent, confirming Lübeck as an important trading center of the Hanseatic League in the Baltic region. Salmonella enterica Paratyphi C detected in remains from a mass burial in Lübeck Outbreak of enteric paratyphoid fever likely occurred in 1367 CE Pathogen genomes showed close similarity to a strain from Norway (1200 CE)
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Haller
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, 24105 Kiel, Germany
| | - Kimberly Callan
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, 24105 Kiel, Germany.,Present address: Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Julian Susat
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, 24105 Kiel, Germany
| | - Anna Lena Flux
- Department of Historical Anthropology and Human Ecology, University of Göttingen, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Alexander Immel
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, 24105 Kiel, Germany
| | - Andre Franke
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, 24105 Kiel, Germany
| | - Alexander Herbig
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Johannes Krause
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Anne Kupczok
- Genomic Microbiology Group, Institute of General Microbiology, Kiel University, 24118 Kiel, Germany.,Bioinformatics Group, Wageningen University & Research, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Gerhard Fouquet
- Historical Seminar, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Kiel University, 24118 Kiel, Germany
| | - Susanne Hummel
- Department of Historical Anthropology and Human Ecology, University of Göttingen, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Dirk Rieger
- Department of Archaeology, Hanseatic City of Lübeck Historical Monuments Protection Authority, 23539 Lübeck, Germany
| | - Almut Nebel
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, 24105 Kiel, Germany
| | - Ben Krause-Kyora
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, 24105 Kiel, Germany
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Fellows Yates JA, Lamnidis TC, Borry M, Andrades Valtueña A, Fagernäs Z, Clayton S, Garcia MU, Neukamm J, Peltzer A. Reproducible, portable, and efficient ancient genome reconstruction with nf-core/eager. PeerJ 2021; 9:e10947. [PMID: 33777521 PMCID: PMC7977378 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.10947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The broadening utilisation of ancient DNA to address archaeological, palaeontological, and biological questions is resulting in a rising diversity in the size of laboratories and scale of analyses being performed. In the context of this heterogeneous landscape, we present an advanced, and entirely redesigned and extended version of the EAGER pipeline for the analysis of ancient genomic data. This Nextflow pipeline aims to address three main themes: accessibility and adaptability to different computing configurations, reproducibility to ensure robust analytical standards, and updating the pipeline to the latest routine ancient genomic practices. The new version of EAGER has been developed within the nf-core initiative to ensure high-quality software development and maintenance support; contributing to a long-term life-cycle for the pipeline. nf-core/eager will assist in ensuring that a wider range of ancient DNA analyses can be applied by a diverse range of research groups and fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- James A. Fellows Yates
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
- Institut für Vor- und Frühgeschichtliche Archäologie und Provinzialrömische Archäologie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Münich, Germany
| | - Thiseas C. Lamnidis
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
| | - Maxime Borry
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
| | - Aida Andrades Valtueña
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
| | - Zandra Fagernäs
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
| | - Stephen Clayton
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
| | - Maxime U. Garcia
- National Genomics Infrastructure, Science for Life Laboratory, Stockholm, Sweden
- Barntumörbanken, Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Judith Neukamm
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Institute for Bioinformatics and Medical Informatics, Eberhard-Karls University Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Alexander Peltzer
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
- Quantitative Biology Center, Eberhard-Karls University Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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42
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Barbieri R, Signoli M, Chevé D, Costedoat C, Tzortzis S, Aboudharam G, Raoult D, Drancourt M. Yersinia pestis: the Natural History of Plague. Clin Microbiol Rev 2020; 34:e00044-19. [PMID: 33298527 PMCID: PMC7920731 DOI: 10.1128/cmr.00044-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The Gram-negative bacterium Yersinia pestis is responsible for deadly plague, a zoonotic disease established in stable foci in the Americas, Africa, and Eurasia. Its persistence in the environment relies on the subtle balance between Y. pestis-contaminated soils, burrowing and nonburrowing mammals exhibiting variable degrees of plague susceptibility, and their associated fleas. Transmission from one host to another relies mainly on infected flea bites, inducing typical painful, enlarged lymph nodes referred to as buboes, followed by septicemic dissemination of the pathogen. In contrast, droplet inhalation after close contact with infected mammals induces primary pneumonic plague. Finally, the rarely reported consumption of contaminated raw meat causes pharyngeal and gastrointestinal plague. Point-of-care diagnosis, early antibiotic treatment, and confinement measures contribute to outbreak control despite residual mortality. Mandatory primary prevention relies on the active surveillance of established plague foci and ectoparasite control. Plague is acknowledged to have infected human populations for at least 5,000 years in Eurasia. Y. pestis genomes recovered from affected archaeological sites have suggested clonal evolution from a common ancestor shared with the closely related enteric pathogen Yersinia pseudotuberculosis and have indicated that ymt gene acquisition during the Bronze Age conferred Y. pestis with ectoparasite transmissibility while maintaining its enteric transmissibility. Three historic pandemics, starting in 541 AD and continuing until today, have been described. At present, the third pandemic has become largely quiescent, with hundreds of human cases being reported mainly in a few impoverished African countries, where zoonotic plague is mostly transmitted to people by rodent-associated flea bites.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Barbieri
- Aix-Marseille University, IRD, MEPHI, IHU Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
- Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, EFS, ADES, Marseille, France
- Fondation Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
| | - M Signoli
- Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, EFS, ADES, Marseille, France
| | - D Chevé
- Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, EFS, ADES, Marseille, France
| | - C Costedoat
- Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, EFS, ADES, Marseille, France
| | - S Tzortzis
- Ministère de la Culture, Direction Régionale des Affaires Culturelles de Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Service Régional de l'Archéologie, Aix-en-Provence, France
| | - G Aboudharam
- Aix-Marseille University, IRD, MEPHI, IHU Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
- Aix-Marseille University, Faculty of Odontology, Marseille, France
| | - D Raoult
- Aix-Marseille University, IRD, MEPHI, IHU Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
- Fondation Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
| | - M Drancourt
- Aix-Marseille University, IRD, MEPHI, IHU Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
- Fondation Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
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43
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Feuerborn TR, Palkopoulou E, van der Valk T, von Seth J, Munters AR, Pečnerová P, Dehasque M, Ureña I, Ersmark E, Lagerholm VK, Krzewińska M, Rodríguez-Varela R, Götherström A, Dalén L, Díez-Del-Molino D. Competitive mapping allows for the identification and exclusion of human DNA contamination in ancient faunal genomic datasets. BMC Genomics 2020; 21:844. [PMID: 33256612 PMCID: PMC7708127 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-020-07229-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND After over a decade of developments in field collection, laboratory methods and advances in high-throughput sequencing, contamination remains a key issue in ancient DNA research. Currently, human and microbial contaminant DNA still impose challenges on cost-effective sequencing and accurate interpretation of ancient DNA data. RESULTS Here we investigate whether human contaminating DNA can be found in ancient faunal sequencing datasets. We identify variable levels of human contamination, which persists even after the sequence reads have been mapped to the faunal reference genomes. This contamination has the potential to affect a range of downstream analyses. CONCLUSIONS We propose a fast and simple method, based on competitive mapping, which allows identifying and removing human contamination from ancient faunal DNA datasets with limited losses of true ancient data. This method could represent an important tool for the ancient DNA field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana R Feuerborn
- Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
- Archaeological Research Laboratory, Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden.
- Centre for Palaeogenetics, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Eleftheria Palkopoulou
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Tom van der Valk
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden
- Centre for Palaeogenetics, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Johanna von Seth
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden
- Centre for Palaeogenetics, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Arielle R Munters
- Department of Organismal Biology, Human Evolution, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | | | - Marianne Dehasque
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden
- Centre for Palaeogenetics, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Irene Ureña
- Department of Animal Breeding, INIA, Madrid, Spain
| | - Erik Ersmark
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden
- Centre for Palaeogenetics, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Vendela Kempe Lagerholm
- Archaeological Research Laboratory, Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- Centre for Palaeogenetics, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Maja Krzewińska
- Archaeological Research Laboratory, Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- Centre for Palaeogenetics, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ricardo Rodríguez-Varela
- Archaeological Research Laboratory, Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- Centre for Palaeogenetics, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Anders Götherström
- Archaeological Research Laboratory, Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- Centre for Palaeogenetics, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Love Dalén
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden
- Centre for Palaeogenetics, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - David Díez-Del-Molino
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden.
- Centre for Palaeogenetics, Stockholm, Sweden.
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
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44
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Morozova I, Kasianov A, Bruskin S, Neukamm J, Molak M, Batieva E, Pudło A, Rühli FJ, Schuenemann VJ. New ancient Eastern European Yersinia pestis genomes illuminate the dispersal of plague in Europe. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20190569. [PMID: 33012225 PMCID: PMC7702796 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of plague, has been prevalent among humans for at least 5000 years, being accountable for several devastating epidemics in history, including the Black Death. Analyses of the genetic diversity of ancient strains of Y. pestis have shed light on the mechanisms of evolution and the spread of plague in Europe. However, many questions regarding the origins of the pathogen and its long persistence in Europe are still unresolved, especially during the late medieval time period. To address this, we present four newly assembled Y. pestis genomes from Eastern Europe (Poland and Southern Russia), dating from the fifteenth to eighteenth century AD. The analysis of polymorphisms in these genomes and their phylogenetic relationships with other ancient and modern Y. pestis strains may suggest several independent introductions of plague into Eastern Europe or its persistence in different reservoirs. Furthermore, with the reconstruction of a partial Y. pestis genome from rat skeletal remains found in a Polish ossuary, we were able to identify a potential animal reservoir in late medieval Europe. Overall, our results add new information concerning Y. pestis transmission and its evolutionary history in Eastern Europe. This article is part of the theme issue 'Insights into health and disease from ancient biomolecules'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina Morozova
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Artem Kasianov
- Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Gubkina Street 3, Moscow 119991, Russia
- Laboratory of Plant Genomics, The Institute for Information Transmission Problems RAS, Moscow 127051, Russia
| | - Sergey Bruskin
- Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Gubkina Street 3, Moscow 119991, Russia
| | - Judith Neukamm
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
- Institute for Bioinformatics and Medical Informatics, University of Tübingen, Sand 14, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Martyna Molak
- Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wilcza 64, Warsaw 00-679, Poland
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, S. Banacha 2c, Warsaw 02-097, Poland
| | - Elena Batieva
- Azov History, Archeology and Paleontology Museum-Reserve, Moskovskaya Street 38/40, Azov 346780, Russia
| | - Aleksandra Pudło
- Archaeological Museum in Gdańsk, Mariacka Street 25/26, Gdańsk 80-833, Poland
| | - Frank J. Rühli
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Verena J. Schuenemann
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
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45
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Abstract
Plague continued to afflict Europe for more than five centuries after the Black Death. Yet, by the 17th century, the dynamics of plague had changed, leading to its slow decline in Western Europe over the subsequent 200 y, a period for which only one genome was previously available. Using a multidisciplinary approach, combining genomic and historical data, we assembled Y. pestis genomes from nine individuals covering four Eurasian sites and placed them into an historical context within the established phylogeny. CHE1 (Chechnya, Russia, 18th century) is now the latest Second Plague Pandemic genome and the first non-European sample in the post-Black Death lineage. Its placement in the phylogeny and our synthesis point toward the existence of an extra-European reservoir feeding plague into Western Europe in multiple waves. By considering socioeconomic, ecological, and climatic factors we highlight the importance of a noneurocentric approach for the discussion on Second Plague Pandemic dynamics in Europe.
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46
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Morales-Arce AY, Sabin SJ, Stone AC, Jensen JD. The population genomics of within-host Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Heredity (Edinb) 2020; 126:1-9. [PMID: 33060846 DOI: 10.1038/s41437-020-00377-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Revised: 10/02/2020] [Accepted: 10/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent progress in genomic sequencing from patient samples has allowed for the first detailed insight into the within-host genetic diversity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.TB), revealing remarkably low levels of variation. While this has often been attributed to low mutation rates, other factors have been described, including resistance evolution (i.e., selective sweeps), widespread purifying and background selection, and, more recently, progeny skew. Here we review recent findings pertaining to the processes governing the evolutionary dynamics of M.TB, discuss their implications for improving our understanding of this important human pathogen, and make recommendations for future work. Significantly, this emerging evolutionary framework involving the joint estimation of demographic, selective, and reproductive processes is forming a new paradigm for the study of within-host pathogen evolution that will be widely applicable across organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Y Morales-Arce
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.
| | - Susanna J Sabin
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Anne C Stone
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.,School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Jeffrey D Jensen
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA. .,School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.
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47
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Barbieri R, Drancourt M, Raoult D. The role of louse-transmitted diseases in historical plague pandemics. THE LANCET. INFECTIOUS DISEASES 2020; 21:e17-e25. [PMID: 33035476 DOI: 10.1016/s1473-3099(20)30487-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2019] [Revised: 04/21/2020] [Accepted: 04/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The rodent-murine ectoparasite-human model of plague transmission does not correspond with historical details around plague pandemics in Europe. New analysis of ancient genomes reveal that Yersinia pestis was unable to be transmitted by rat fleas until around 4000 Before Present, which challenges the rodent-murine ectoparasite-human model of plague transmission and historical details around plague pandemics in Europe. In this Review, we summarise data regarding Y pestis transmission by human lice in the context of genomic evolution and co-transmission of other major epidemic deadly pathogens throughout human history, with the aim of broadening our view of plague transmission. Experimental models support the efficiency of human lice as plague vectors through infected faeces, which suggest that Y pestis could be a louse-borne disease, similar to Borrelia recurrentis, Rickettsia prowazekii, and Bartonella quintana. Studies have shown that louse-borne outbreaks often involve multiple pathogens, and several cases of co-transmission of Y pestis and B quintana have been reported. Furthermore, an exclusive louse-borne bacterium, namely B recurrentis, was found to be circulating in northern Europe during the second plague pandemic (14th-18th century). Current data make it possible to attribute large historical pandemics to multiple bacteria, and suggests that human lice probably played a preponderant role in the interhuman transmission of plague and pathogen co-transmission during previous large epidemics, including plague pandemics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rémi Barbieri
- Aix-Marseille Université, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Microbes, Evolution, Phylogénie et Infection, Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France; Aix-Marseille Université, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Établissement Français du Sang, Anthropologie Bio-culturelle, Droit, Éthique et Santé, Marseille, France; Fondation Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
| | - Michel Drancourt
- Aix-Marseille Université, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Microbes, Evolution, Phylogénie et Infection, Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
| | - Didier Raoult
- Aix-Marseille Université, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Microbes, Evolution, Phylogénie et Infection, Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France; Fondation Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France.
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48
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Susat J, Bonczarowska JH, Pētersone-Gordina E, Immel A, Nebel A, Gerhards G, Krause-Kyora B. Yersinia pestis strains from Latvia show depletion of the pla virulence gene at the end of the second plague pandemic. Sci Rep 2020; 10:14628. [PMID: 32884081 PMCID: PMC7471286 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-71530-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2020] [Accepted: 08/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Ancient genomic studies have identified Yersinia pestis (Y. pestis) as the causative agent of the second plague pandemic (fourteenth–eighteenth century) that started with the Black Death (1,347–1,353). Most of the Y. pestis strains investigated from this pandemic have been isolated from western Europe, and not much is known about the diversity and microevolution of this bacterium in eastern European countries. In this study, we investigated human remains excavated from two cemeteries in Riga (Latvia). Historical evidence suggests that the burials were a consequence of plague outbreaks during the seventeenth century. DNA was extracted from teeth of 16 individuals and subjected to shotgun sequencing. Analysis of the metagenomic data revealed the presence of Y. pestis sequences in four remains, confirming that the buried individuals were victims of plague. In two samples, Y. pestis DNA coverage was sufficient for genome reconstruction. Subsequent phylogenetic analysis showed that the Riga strains fell within the diversity of the already known post-Black Death genomes. Interestingly, the two Latvian isolates did not cluster together. Moreover, we detected a drop in coverage of the pPCP1 plasmid region containing the pla gene. Further analysis indicated the presence of two pPCP1 plasmids, one with and one without the pla gene region, and only one bacterial chromosome, indicating that the same bacterium carried two distinct pPCP1 plasmids. In addition, we found the same pattern in the majority of previously published post-Black Death strains, but not in the Black Death strains. The pla gene is an important virulence factor for the infection of and transmission in humans. Thus, the spread of pla-depleted strains may, among other causes, have contributed to the disappearance of the second plague pandemic in eighteenth century Europe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian Susat
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, Rosalind-Franklin-Straße 12, 24105, Kiel, Germany
| | - Joanna H Bonczarowska
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, Rosalind-Franklin-Straße 12, 24105, Kiel, Germany
| | | | - Alexander Immel
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, Rosalind-Franklin-Straße 12, 24105, Kiel, Germany
| | - Almut Nebel
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, Rosalind-Franklin-Straße 12, 24105, Kiel, Germany
| | - Guntis Gerhards
- Institute of Latvian History, University of Latvia, Kalpaka bulvāris 4, Riga, 1050, Latvia
| | - Ben Krause-Kyora
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, Rosalind-Franklin-Straße 12, 24105, Kiel, Germany.
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49
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Majander K, Pfrengle S, Kocher A, Neukamm J, du Plessis L, Pla-Díaz M, Arora N, Akgül G, Salo K, Schats R, Inskip S, Oinonen M, Valk H, Malve M, Kriiska A, Onkamo P, González-Candelas F, Kühnert D, Krause J, Schuenemann VJ. Ancient Bacterial Genomes Reveal a High Diversity of Treponema pallidum Strains in Early Modern Europe. Curr Biol 2020; 30:3788-3803.e10. [PMID: 32795443 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.07.058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2020] [Revised: 04/24/2020] [Accepted: 07/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Syphilis is a globally re-emerging disease, which has marked European history with a devastating epidemic at the end of the 15th century. Together with non-venereal treponemal diseases, like bejel and yaws, which are found today in subtropical and tropical regions, it currently poses a substantial health threat worldwide. The origins and spread of treponemal diseases remain unresolved, including syphilis' potential introduction into Europe from the Americas. Here, we present the first genetic data from archaeological human remains reflecting a high diversity of Treponema pallidum in early modern Europe. Our study demonstrates that a variety of strains related to both venereal syphilis and yaws-causing T. pallidum subspecies were already present in Northern Europe in the early modern period. We also discovered a previously unknown T. pallidum lineage recovered as a sister group to yaws- and bejel-causing lineages. These findings imply a more complex pattern of geographical distribution and etiology of early treponemal epidemics than previously understood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerttu Majander
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland; Institute for Archaeological Sciences, University of Tübingen, Rümelinstrasse 19-23, 72070 Tübingen, Germany; Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische Strasse 10, 07745 Jena, Germany; Department of Biosciences, University of Helsinki, Viikinkaari 9, 00014 Helsinki, Finland.
| | - Saskia Pfrengle
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland; Institute for Archaeological Sciences, University of Tübingen, Rümelinstrasse 19-23, 72070 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Arthur Kocher
- Transmission, Infection, Diversification and Evolution Group, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische Strasse 10, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Judith Neukamm
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland; Institute for Archaeological Sciences, University of Tübingen, Rümelinstrasse 19-23, 72070 Tübingen, Germany; Institute for Bioinformatics and Medical Informatics, University of Tübingen, Sand 14, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | | | - Marta Pla-Díaz
- Joint Research Unit "Infection and Public Health" FISABIO-University of Valencia, Institute for Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio), Valencia, Spain; CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - Natasha Arora
- Zurich Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190/52, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Gülfirde Akgül
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Kati Salo
- Department of Biosciences, University of Helsinki, Viikinkaari 9, 00014 Helsinki, Finland; Archaeology, Faculty of Arts, University of Helsinki, Unioninkatu 38F, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Rachel Schats
- Laboratory for Human Osteoarchaeology, Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, Einsteinweg 2, 2333CC Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Sarah Inskip
- McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3ER, UK
| | - Markku Oinonen
- Laboratory of Chronology, Finnish Museum of Natural History, University of Helsinki, Gustaf Hällströmin katu 2, 00560 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Heiki Valk
- Institute of History and Archaeology, University of Tartu, Jakobi 2, 51005 Tartu, Tartumaa, Estonia
| | - Martin Malve
- Institute of History and Archaeology, University of Tartu, Jakobi 2, 51005 Tartu, Tartumaa, Estonia
| | - Aivar Kriiska
- Institute of History and Archaeology, University of Tartu, Jakobi 2, 51005 Tartu, Tartumaa, Estonia
| | - Päivi Onkamo
- Department of Biosciences, University of Helsinki, Viikinkaari 9, 00014 Helsinki, Finland; Department of Biology, University of Turku, Vesilinnantie 5, 20500 Turku, Finland
| | - Fernando González-Candelas
- Joint Research Unit "Infection and Public Health" FISABIO-University of Valencia, Institute for Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio), Valencia, Spain; CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - Denise Kühnert
- Transmission, Infection, Diversification and Evolution Group, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische Strasse 10, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Johannes Krause
- Institute for Archaeological Sciences, University of Tübingen, Rümelinstrasse 19-23, 72070 Tübingen, Germany; Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische Strasse 10, 07745 Jena, Germany; Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment (S-HEP), University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Verena J Schuenemann
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland; Institute for Archaeological Sciences, University of Tübingen, Rümelinstrasse 19-23, 72070 Tübingen, Germany; Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment (S-HEP), University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
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50
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Sabin S, Herbig A, Vågene ÅJ, Ahlström T, Bozovic G, Arcini C, Kühnert D, Bos KI. A seventeenth-century Mycobacterium tuberculosis genome supports a Neolithic emergence of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. Genome Biol 2020; 21:201. [PMID: 32778135 PMCID: PMC7418204 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-020-02112-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2019] [Accepted: 07/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although tuberculosis accounts for the highest mortality from a bacterial infection on a global scale, questions persist regarding its origin. One hypothesis based on modern Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) genomes suggests their most recent common ancestor followed human migrations out of Africa approximately 70,000 years before present. However, studies using ancient genomes as calibration points have yielded much younger dates of less than 6000 years. Here, we aim to address this discrepancy through the analysis of the highest-coverage and highest-quality ancient MTBC genome available to date, reconstructed from a calcified lung nodule of Bishop Peder Winstrup of Lund (b. 1605-d. 1679). RESULTS A metagenomic approach for taxonomic classification of whole DNA content permitted the identification of abundant DNA belonging to the human host and the MTBC, with few non-TB bacterial taxa comprising the background. Genomic enrichment enabled the reconstruction of a 141-fold coverage M. tuberculosis genome. In utilizing this high-quality, high-coverage seventeenth-century genome as a calibration point for dating the MTBC, we employed multiple Bayesian tree models, including birth-death models, which allowed us to model pathogen population dynamics and data sampling strategies more realistically than those based on the coalescent. CONCLUSIONS The results of our metagenomic analysis demonstrate the unique preservation environment calcified nodules provide for DNA. Importantly, we estimate a most recent common ancestor date for the MTBC of between 2190 and 4501 before present and for Lineage 4 of between 929 and 2084 before present using multiple models, confirming a Neolithic emergence for the MTBC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanna Sabin
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Alexander Herbig
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Åshild J. Vågene
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, 07745 Jena, Germany
- Present address: Section for Evolutionary Genomics, The GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, 1353 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Torbjörn Ahlström
- Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, Lund University, 221 00 Lund, Sweden
| | - Gracijela Bozovic
- Department of Medical Imaging and Clinical Physiology, Skåne University Hospital Lund and Lund University, 221 00 Lund, Sweden
| | - Caroline Arcini
- Arkeologerna, National Historical Museum, 226 60 Lund, Sweden
| | - Denise Kühnert
- Transmission, Infection, Diversification & Evolution Group, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Kirsten I. Bos
- Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, 07745 Jena, Germany
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