Human Coprolites as a Source for Paleomicrobiology
- Authors: Sandra Appelt1, Michel Drancourt2, Matthieu Le Bailly3
- Editors: Michel Drancourt4, Didier Raoult5
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VIEW AFFILIATIONS HIDE AFFILIATIONSAffiliations: 1: Aix Marseille Université, URMITE, UM63, CNRS 7278, IRD 198, Inserm 1095, Marseille, France; 2: Aix Marseille Université, URMITE, UM63, CNRS 7278, IRD 198, Inserm 1095, Marseille, France; 3: Franche-Comté University, CNRS UMR 6249 Chrono-Environment, Besançon, France; 4: Aix Marseille Université Faculté de Médecine, Marseille, France; 5: Aix Marseille Université Faculté de Médecine, Marseille, France
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Received 06 May 2015 Accepted 22 October 2015 Published 05 August 2016
- Correspondence: Michel Drancourt, [email protected]

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Abstract:
The paleomicrobiology of coprolites, which are fossilized fecal materials, has already yielded data about various organisms, including micro-eukaryotes, bacteria, and archaea, thus expanding our comprehension of ancient human dietary habits, gut microbiota, and intestinal and systemic infections. This mini-review briefly describes previous works and summarizes the main techniques used in handling coprolites and the findings obtained about ancient gut microbiota. Past intestinal and systemic infections are outlined.
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Citation: Appelt S, Drancourt M, Le Bailly M. 2016. Human Coprolites as a Source for Paleomicrobiology. Microbiol Spectrum 4(4):PoH-0002-2014. doi:10.1128/microbiolspec.PoH-0002-2014.




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Abstract:
The paleomicrobiology of coprolites, which are fossilized fecal materials, has already yielded data about various organisms, including micro-eukaryotes, bacteria, and archaea, thus expanding our comprehension of ancient human dietary habits, gut microbiota, and intestinal and systemic infections. This mini-review briefly describes previous works and summarizes the main techniques used in handling coprolites and the findings obtained about ancient gut microbiota. Past intestinal and systemic infections are outlined.

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Figures

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FIGURE 1
(A) Bibliometry. (B) Repartition and dating of human and mixed coprolites investigated during the last 21 years. The human coprolites reviewed herein were found in approximately 87 different archeological sites: 37 (42.5%) and 24 (27.6%) were located in South America and North America respectively, 18 (20.7%) were found in Europe, and 3 to 5 (3.4% to 5.7%) were found in Africa and Asia. Macroscopic / microscopic analyses are labeled with yellow squares, non-nucleotidic biomolecular analyses are with blue triangles, and molecularly analyzed coprolites with green circles. The corresponding references are listed in Table 2 . (C) Dating of coprolites.

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FIGURE 2
Intestinal and systemic pathogens identified in human coprolites. The pathogens are grouped based on their taxonomic classification into intestinal helminths, intestinal protozoa, and unicellular eukaryotes and bacteria. The methods of identification that yielded positive results are marked in green, and negative tests are marked in gray. Microscopic observations were performed with light or electron microscopy. Non-nucleotidic biomolecular detection included testing with immunofluorescence assay (IFA) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and molecular detection was performed with PCR amplification and next-generation sequencing.
Tables

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TABLE 1
PCR systems used to amplify microbial ancient DNA out of coprolites a

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TABLE 2
Scientific studies performed on human and potentially mixed animal and human coprolites a
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