Paleopathology and ancient diseases

PIGSTI: a modular, reproducible pipeline for detecting species identity, pathogens, and microbes from animal palaeogenomic data

PIGSTI detects species identity, pathogens, and microbes in ancient animal genomic data, identifying 15 zoonotic pathogens including Rickettsia felis and Leptospira borgpetersenii.

Recovery of an 18th Century Rhinovirus Genome through Ancient RNA Isolation of Human Lungs

This study recovers an 18th-century rhinovirus genome from ancient RNA isolated from human lung specimens, revealing insights into viral evolution.

Beyond dairy: Identification of dental enamel proteins in ancient human dental calculus

This study identifies dental enamel proteins in ancient human dental calculus, expanding its use beyond diet and microbiome analysis to include sex estimation.

RNA virus genomes from centuries- to millennia-old Adelie penguin mummies

This study identifies ancient RNA virus genomes in Adelie penguin mummies, revealing viral sequences from specimens up to 2000 years old.

Genomic insights into ancestry and infectious disease in 17th-century colonial Brazil

This study analyzes genomic and metagenomic data from 17th-century colonial Brazil remains to determine ancestry and potential causes of death, finding European genetic links and evidence of infectious diseases.

Evidence of sheeppox in 17th-19th century France: a multi-disciplinary investigation of a sheep mass mortality assemblage

The paper identifies sheeppox virus in 17th-19th century French sheep remains using paleogenetics and interdisciplinary methods.

Dental calculus as a record of Pleistocene reindeer oral, digestive and dietary flora

This study analyzes dental calculus from Pleistocene and modern reindeer to reconstruct their oral microbiomes, digestive microbiomes, and diets using ancient metagenomics.

A minimal hybridization capture system for the parallel enrichment and cost-effective detection of ancient human pathogens

This study presents a hybridization capture system to enrich and detect ancient human pathogens from archaeological samples with minimal sequencing.

Probing the zooarchaeological record across time and space for ancient pathogens

The paper examines ancient pathogens in zooarchaeological remains to identify zoonotic diseases and validate their authenticity using genetic and palaeopathological methods.

Exploring the Pathogen Profiles of Ancient Feces

This study uses PCR to detect enteric pathogens in ancient feces from Mexico, finding multiple pathogens in all samples and identifying several for the first time in paleofeces.

A complete mitochondrial genome of a Roman-era Plasmodium falciparum

The paper presents the first complete mitochondrial DNA genome of Plasmodium falciparum from a Roman-era skeleton, supporting an Indian origin for the parasite in Europe and genetic continuity over 2,000 years.

Ancient Clostridium DNA and variants of tetanus neurotoxins associated with human archaeological remains

The paper identifies ancient Clostridium tetani genomes and TeNT variants from archaeological remains, revealing new species and a pathogenic toxin variant.

Comparative Analysis of Gut Microbiome in Individuals of the Old Civilization of Caral-Supe Based on Data from 16S rRNA and ITS region

This study analyzes gut microbiome composition of the Caral-Supe civilization using 16S rRNA and ITS sequencing from coprolite samples to identify microorganisms and potential diseases.