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van der Kuyl AC. Historic and Prehistoric Epidemics: An Overview of Sources Available for the Study of Ancient Pathogens. EPIDEMIOLOGIA (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 3:443-464. [PMID: 36547255 PMCID: PMC9778136 DOI: 10.3390/epidemiologia3040034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Revised: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Since life on earth developed, parasitic microbes have thrived. Increases in host numbers, or the conquest of a new species, provide an opportunity for such a pathogen to enjoy, before host defense systems kick in, a similar upsurge in reproduction. Outbreaks, caused by "endemic" pathogens, and epidemics, caused by "novel" pathogens, have thus been creating chaos and destruction since prehistorical times. To study such (pre)historic epidemics, recent advances in the ancient DNA field, applied to both archeological and historical remains, have helped tremendously to elucidate the evolutionary trajectory of pathogens. These studies have offered new and unexpected insights into the evolution of, for instance, smallpox virus, hepatitis B virus, and the plague-causing bacterium Yersinia pestis. Furthermore, burial patterns and historical publications can help in tracking down ancient pathogens. Another source of information is our genome, where selective sweeps in immune-related genes relate to past pathogen attacks, while multiple viruses have left their genomes behind for us to study. This review will discuss the sources available to investigate (pre)historic diseases, as molecular knowledge of historic and prehistoric pathogens may help us understand the past and the present, and prepare us for future epidemics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antoinette C. van der Kuyl
- Laboratory of Experimental Virology, Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands; ; Tel.: +31-205-666-778
- Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, 1100 DD Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Arning N, Wilson DJ. The past, present and future of ancient bacterial DNA. Microb Genom 2020; 6:mgen000384. [PMID: 32598277 PMCID: PMC7478633 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.000384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2020] [Accepted: 05/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Groundbreaking studies conducted in the mid-1980s demonstrated the possibility of sequencing ancient DNA (aDNA), which has allowed us to answer fundamental questions about the human past. Microbiologists were thus given a powerful tool to glimpse directly into inscrutable bacterial history, hitherto inaccessible due to a poor fossil record. Initially plagued by concerns regarding contamination, the field has grown alongside technical progress, with the advent of high-throughput sequencing being a breakthrough in sequence output and authentication. Albeit burdened with challenges unique to the analysis of bacteria, a growing number of viable sources for aDNA has opened multiple avenues of microbial research. Ancient pathogens have been extracted from bones, dental pulp, mummies and historical medical specimens and have answered focal historical questions such as identifying the aetiological agent of the black death as Yersinia pestis. Furthermore, ancient human microbiomes from fossilized faeces, mummies and dental plaque have shown shifts in human commensals through the Neolithic demographic transition and industrial revolution, whereas environmental isolates stemming from permafrost samples have revealed signs of ancient antimicrobial resistance. Culminating in an ever-growing repertoire of ancient genomes, the quickly expanding body of bacterial aDNA studies has also enabled comparisons of ancient genomes to their extant counterparts, illuminating the evolutionary history of bacteria. In this review we summarize the present avenues of research and contextualize them in the past of the field whilst also pointing towards questions still to be answered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Arning
- Big Data Institute, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Information and Discovery, Old Road Campus, Oxford, OX3 7LF, UK
| | - Daniel J. Wilson
- Big Data Institute, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Information and Discovery, Old Road Campus, Oxford, OX3 7LF, UK
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Maixner F, Thorell K, Granehäll L, Linz B, Moodley Y, Rattei T, Engstrand L, Zink A. Helicobacter pylori in ancient human remains. World J Gastroenterol 2019; 25:6289-6298. [PMID: 31754290 PMCID: PMC6861846 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v25.i42.6289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2019] [Revised: 09/13/2019] [Accepted: 11/01/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infects the stomachs of approximately 50% of all humans. With its universal occurrence, high infectivity and virulence properties it is considered as one of the most severe global burdens of modern humankind. It has accompanied humans for many thousands of years, and due to its high genetic variability and vertical transmission, its population genetics reflects the history of human migrations. However, especially complex demographic events such as the colonisation of Europe cannot be resolved with population genetic analysis of modern H. pylori strains alone. This is best exemplified with the reconstruction of the 5300-year-old H. pylori genome of the Iceman, a European Copper Age mummy. Our analysis provided precious insights into the ancestry and evolution of the pathogen and underlined the high complexity of ancient European population history. In this review we will provide an overview on the molecular analysis of H. pylori in mummified human remains that were done so far and we will outline methodological advancements in the field of ancient DNA research that support the reconstruction and authentication of ancient H. pylori genome sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank Maixner
- Institute for Mummy Studies, EURAC Research, Bolzano 39100, Italy
| | - Kaisa Thorell
- Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Gothenburg, Göteborg SE405 30, Sweden
| | - Lena Granehäll
- Institute for Mummy Studies, EURAC Research, Bolzano 39100, Italy
| | - Bodo Linz
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, United States
| | - Yoshan Moodley
- Department of Zoology, University of Venda, Thohoyandou 0950, South Africa
| | - Thomas Rattei
- Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, University of Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria
| | - Lars Engstrand
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm 141 83, Sweden
| | - Albert Zink
- Institute for Mummy Studies, EURAC Research, Bolzano 39100, Italy
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Sources of Materials for Paleomicrobiology. Microbiol Spectr 2017; 4. [PMID: 27726809 DOI: 10.1128/microbiolspec.poh-0016-2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The Paleomicrobiology establishes the diagnosis of ancient infectious diseases by studying ancient pathogens. This recent science also analyzes the evolution of these pathogens, virulence, and their adaptation to their habitat and their vectors. The DNA persists a long time after the death of an organism despite the chemical and enzymatic degradation. The possibility of sequencing bacterial, viral, parasitic and archaeal DNA molecules persists over time.Various sources are used for these studies: frozen tissue and particularly human tissue are a exceptional source for the analysis because at very low temperatures, all biological activity is suspended. The coprolites are a source of choice for studying the human microbiome. Other sources, the ancient bones are the most abundant, however, they may contain only small amounts of DNA due to natural leaching. When the use of the tooth is possible, is a particularly interesting source because of its highly mineralized structure, which gives greater persistence than bone. The calcified tartar deposited on teeth is a source of interest for the study of oral microbiome.All these sources are subject to precautions (gloves and masks hat) at the time of sampling to avoid cross contamination and also be listed in the most precise way because they are precious and rare.
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Mégraud F, Lehours P, Vale F. The history of Helicobacter pylori : from phylogeography to paleomicrobiology. Clin Microbiol Infect 2016; 22:922-927. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cmi.2016.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2016] [Revised: 06/14/2016] [Accepted: 07/09/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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Darling MI, Donoghue HD. Insights from paleomicrobiology into the indigenous peoples of pre-colonial America - a review. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 2016; 109:131-9. [PMID: 24714964 PMCID: PMC4015261 DOI: 10.1590/0074-0276140589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2014] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
This review investigates ancient infectious diseases in the Americas dated to the
pre-colonial period and considers what these findings can tell us about the history
of the indigenous peoples of the Americas. It gives an overview, but focuses on four
microbial pathogens from this period: Helicobacter pylori,
Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Trypanosoma cruzi
and Coccidioides immitis, which cause stomach ulceration and gastric
cancer, tuberculosis, Chagas disease and valley fever, respectively. These pathogens
were selected as H. pylori can give insight into ancient human
migrations into the Americas, M. tuberculosis is associated with
population density and urban development, T. cruzi can elucidate
human living conditions and C. immitis can indicate agricultural
development. A range of methods are used to diagnose infectious disease in ancient
human remains, with DNA analysis by polymerase chain reaction one of the most
reliable, provided strict precautions are taken against cross contamination. The
review concludes with a brief summary of the changes that took place after European
exploration and colonisation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Millie I Darling
- Division of Biosciences, Centre for Clinical Microbiology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Helen D Donoghue
- Division of Biosciences, Centre for Clinical Microbiology, University College London, London, UK
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Maixner F, Krause-Kyora B, Turaev D, Herbig A, Hoopmann MR, Hallows JL, Kusebauch U, Vigl EE, Malfertheiner P, Megraud F, O'Sullivan N, Cipollini G, Coia V, Samadelli M, Engstrand L, Linz B, Moritz RL, Grimm R, Krause J, Nebel A, Moodley Y, Rattei T, Zink A. The 5300-year-old Helicobacter pylori genome of the Iceman. Science 2016; 351:162-165. [PMID: 26744403 DOI: 10.1126/science.aad2545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 129] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The stomach bacterium Helicobacter pylori is one of the most prevalent human pathogens. It has dispersed globally with its human host, resulting in a distinct phylogeographic pattern that can be used to reconstruct both recent and ancient human migrations. The extant European population of H. pylori is known to be a hybrid between Asian and African bacteria, but there exist different hypotheses about when and where the hybridization took place, reflecting the complex demographic history of Europeans. Here, we present a 5300-year-old H. pylori genome from a European Copper Age glacier mummy. The "Iceman" H. pylori is a nearly pure representative of the bacterial population of Asian origin that existed in Europe before hybridization, suggesting that the African population arrived in Europe within the past few thousand years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank Maixner
- Institute for Mummies and the Iceman, EURAC research, Viale Druso 1, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
| | - Ben Krause-Kyora
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, Schittenhelmstr. 12, 24105 Kiel, Germany
| | - Dmitrij Turaev
- CUBE - Division of Computational Systems Biology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, University of Vienna, Althanstr. 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Alexander Herbig
- Institute for Archaeological Sciences, University of Tübingen, Rümelinstr. 23, 72072 Tübingen, Germany.,Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische Str. 10, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Michael R Hoopmann
- Institute for Systems Biology, 401 Terry Avenue North, Seattle, Washington 98109, USA
| | - Janice L Hallows
- Institute for Systems Biology, 401 Terry Avenue North, Seattle, Washington 98109, USA
| | - Ulrike Kusebauch
- Institute for Systems Biology, 401 Terry Avenue North, Seattle, Washington 98109, USA
| | - Eduard Egarter Vigl
- Scuola Superiore Sanitaria Provinciale "Claudiana", Via Lorenz Böhler 13, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
| | - Peter Malfertheiner
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Infectious Diseases, Otto-von-Guericke University, Leipziger Strasse 44, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Francis Megraud
- Université de Bordeaux, Centre National de Référence des Helicobacters et Campylobacters and INSERM U853, 146 rue Léo Saignat, 33076 Bordeaux, France
| | - Niall O'Sullivan
- Institute for Mummies and the Iceman, EURAC research, Viale Druso 1, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
| | - Giovanna Cipollini
- Institute for Mummies and the Iceman, EURAC research, Viale Druso 1, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
| | - Valentina Coia
- Institute for Mummies and the Iceman, EURAC research, Viale Druso 1, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
| | - Marco Samadelli
- Institute for Mummies and the Iceman, EURAC research, Viale Druso 1, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
| | - Lars Engstrand
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, 141 83 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Bodo Linz
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - Robert L Moritz
- Institute for Systems Biology, 401 Terry Avenue North, Seattle, Washington 98109, USA
| | - Rudolf Grimm
- Robert Mondavi Institute for Food Science, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA
| | - Johannes Krause
- Institute for Archaeological Sciences, University of Tübingen, Rümelinstr. 23, 72072 Tübingen, Germany.,Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische Str. 10, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Almut Nebel
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, Schittenhelmstr. 12, 24105 Kiel, Germany
| | - Yoshan Moodley
- Department of Zoology, University of Venda, Private Bag X5050, Thohoyandou 0950, Republic of South Africa.,Department of Integrative Biology and Evolution, Konrad Lorenz Institute for Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Savoyenstr. 1a, 1160 Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Rattei
- CUBE - Division of Computational Systems Biology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, University of Vienna, Althanstr. 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Albert Zink
- Institute for Mummies and the Iceman, EURAC research, Viale Druso 1, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
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Anastasiou E, Mitchell PD. Palaeopathology and genes: investigating the genetics of infectious diseases in excavated human skeletal remains and mummies from past populations. Gene 2013; 528:33-40. [PMID: 23792062 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2013.06.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2013] [Revised: 05/23/2013] [Accepted: 06/01/2013] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to review the use of genetics in palaeomicrobiology, and to highlight the importance of understanding past diseases. Palaeomicrobiology is the study of disease pathogens in skeletal and mummified remains from archaeological contexts. It has revolutionarised our understanding of health in the past by enabling a deeper knowledge of the origins and evolution of many diseases that have shaped us as a species. Bacterial diseases explored include tuberculosis, leprosy, bubonic plague, typhoid, syphilis, endemic and epidemic typhus, trench fever, and Helicobacter pylori. Viral diseases discussed include influenza, hepatitis B, human papilloma virus (HPV), human T-cell lymphotrophic virus (HTLV-1) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Parasitic diseases investigated include malaria, leishmaniasis, Chagas' disease, roundworm, whipworm, pinworm, Chinese liver fluke, fleas and lice. Through a better understanding of disease origins and their evolution, we can place into context how many infectious diseases are changing over time, and so help us estimate how they may change in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evilena Anastasiou
- Division of Biological Anthropology, Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge, The Henry Wellcome Building, Fitzwilliam Street, Cambridge CB2 1QH, UK
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Thèves C, Senescau A, Vanin S, Keyser C, Ricaut FX, Alekseev AN, Dabernat H, Ludes B, Fabre R, Crubézy E. Molecular identification of bacteria by total sequence screening: determining the cause of death in ancient human subjects. PLoS One 2011; 6:e21733. [PMID: 21765907 PMCID: PMC3135582 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0021733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2011] [Accepted: 06/09/2011] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Research of ancient pathogens in ancient human skeletons has been mainly carried out on the basis of one essential historical or archaeological observation, permitting specific pathogens to be targeted. Detection of ancient human pathogens without such evidence is more difficult, since the quantity and quality of ancient DNA, as well as the environmental bacteria potentially present in the sample, limit the analyses possible. Using human lung tissue and/or teeth samples from burials in eastern Siberia, dating from the end of 17(th) to the 19(th) century, we propose a methodology that includes the: 1) amplification of all 16S rDNA gene sequences present in each sample; 2) identification of all bacterial DNA sequences with a degree of identity ≥ 95%, according to quality criteria; 3) identification and confirmation of bacterial pathogens by the amplification of the rpoB gene; and 4) establishment of authenticity criteria for ancient DNA. This study demonstrates that from teeth samples originating from ancient human subjects, we can realise: 1) the correct identification of bacterial molecular sequence signatures by quality criteria; 2) the separation of environmental and pathogenic bacterial 16S rDNA sequences; 3) the distribution of bacterial species for each subject and for each burial; and 4) the characterisation of bacteria specific to the permafrost. Moreover, we identified three pathogens in different teeth samples by 16S rDNA sequence amplification: Bordetella sp., Streptococcus pneumoniae and Shigella dysenteriae. We tested for the presence of these pathogens by amplifying the rpoB gene. For the first time, we confirmed sequences from Bordetella pertussis in the lungs of an ancient male Siberian subject, whose grave dated from the end of the 17(th) century to the early 18(th) century.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine Thèves
- Laboratoire AMIS, UMR 5288, Université Toulouse IIII/CNRS/Université de Strasbourg, Toulouse, France.
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