Paleopathology and ancient diseases

The oral microbiome of King Richard III of England

This study analyzes the oral microbiome of King Richard III using dental calculus metagenomics, finding it similar to other northern European populations despite his royal status and diet.

Lifestyle impacts the oral microbiome of Classical and Post-classical societies in Italy

This study examines how lifestyle differences between social classes in Classical and Post-classical Italy are reflected in their oral microbiomes, finding significant variations across time periods and social classes.

Metagenomic peek into a corn mummy

The paper uses metagenomic analysis to identify ancient organisms in a corn mummy from ancient Egypt, finding potential historical contaminants alongside modern ones.

Composition variations in archaeological human bone proteomes

The paper compares proteome composition and modification in different bone types from archaeological human skeletons, finding cortical bone better preserves proteins than trabecular bone and petrous bone has the most complex proteomes.

Paratyphoid Fever and Relapsing Fever in 1812 Napoleon's Devastated Army

This study identifies Salmonella Paratyphi C and Borrelia recurrentis in Napoleonic soldiers, suggesting these pathogens contributed to the 1812 army's collapse.

An extensive archaeological dental calculus dataset spanning 5000 years for ancient human oral microbiome research

The paper provides a 5000-year-old dental calculus metagenomic dataset from 174 UK archaeological samples to study ancient human oral microbiomes and related topics like diet and antimicrobial resistance.

Widespread occurrence of botulinum and tetanus neurotoxin genes in ancient DNA

The paper identifies clostridial neurotoxin genes in ancient DNA samples, finding TeNT and botulinum neurotoxin genes in 1.6% of datasets.

Ancient DNA of Rickettsia felis and Toxoplasma gondii implicated in the death of a hunter-gatherer boy from South Africa, 2,000 years ago

The paper identifies ancient DNA of Rickettsia felis and Toxoplasma gondii in a 2,000-year-old South African hunter-gatherer child, linking them to his illness and death.

Millennium-Old Pathogenic Mendelian Mutation Discovery for MultipleOsteochondromas from a Gaelic Medieval Graveyard.

The paper identifies two distinct mutations in the EXT1 gene from medieval Irish individuals with multiple osteochondromas, confirming a paleopathological diagnosis and highlighting genetic variation in ancient populations.

Whole-exome sequencing of the mummified remains of Cangrande della Scala (1291-1329 CE) indicates the first known case of late-onset Pompe disease

The paper performs whole-exome sequencing on mummified remains to identify a genetic mutation associated with late-onset Pompe disease in a historical figure.

Ancient viral genomes reveal introduction of HBV and B19V into Mexico during the transatlantic slave trade.

This study reconstructs ancient viral genomes from Colonial-era remains in Mexico, linking their origin to Africa via the transatlantic slave trade.

Comparison of target enrichment strategies for ancient pathogen DNA

This study compares three DNA enrichment methods for ancient pathogen DNA, finding in-solution approaches are most effective and RNA baits outperform DNA baits.

Ancient bacterial genomes reveal a formerly unknown diversity of Treponema pallidum strains in early modern Europe

This study identifies previously unknown Treponema pallidum strains in early modern Europe, suggesting a complex history of treponemal diseases.

Metagenomic analysis of a blood stain from the French revolutionary Jean-Paul Marat (1743-1793)

The paper analyzes metagenomic data from a blood stain on a newspaper linked to Jean-Paul Marat to investigate potential infectious agents of his skin condition.

HOPS: Automated detection and authentication of pathogen DNA in archaeological remains

HOPS automates the detection and authentication of bacterial DNA in ancient DNA samples to identify candidates for genomic analysis.

Salmonella enterica genomes recovered from victims of a major 16th century epidemic in Mexico

The paper identifies Salmonella enterica genomes from a 16th-century epidemic cemetery in Mexico, linking them to enteric fever as a cause of population decline.