Paleopathology of Human Infections: Old Bones, Antique Books, Ancient and Modern Molecules
- Author: Olivier Dutour1
- Editors: Michel Drancourt2, Didier Raoult3
-
VIEW AFFILIATIONS HIDE AFFILIATIONSAffiliations: 1: Laboratoire d’Anthropologie biologique Paul Broca – École Pratique des Hautes Etudes, PSL Research University Paris, Paris, France; 2: Aix Marseille Université Faculté de Médecine, Marseille, France; 3: Aix Marseille Université Faculté de Médecine, Marseille, France
-
Received 10 June 2015 Accepted 17 June 2015 Published 08 July 2016
- Correspondence: Olivier Dutour, [email protected]

-
Abstract:
Paleopathology studies the traces of disease on human and animal remains from ancient times. Infectious diseases have been, for over a century, one of its main fields of interest. The applications of paleogenetics methods to microbial aDNA, that started in the 90s combined to the recent development of new sequencing techniques allowing ‘paleogenomics’ approaches, have completely renewed the issue of the infections in the past. These advances open up new challenges in the understanding of the evolution of human-pathogen relationships, integrated in “One Health” concept.
In this perspective, an integrative multidisciplinary approach combining data from ancient texts and old bones to those of old molecules is of great interest for reconstructing the past of human infections. Despite some too optimistic prediction of their eradication in the late 20th century, some of these ancient human diseases, such as plague, leprosy or tuberculosis, are still present and continue their evolution at the beginning of this 21rst century. Better know the past to predict a part of the future of human diseases remains, more than ever, the motto of the paleopathological science.
-
Citation: Dutour O. 2016. Paleopathology of Human Infections: Old Bones, Antique Books, Ancient and Modern Molecules. Microbiol Spectrum 4(4):PoH-0014-2015. doi:10.1128/microbiolspec.PoH-0014-2015.




Paleopathology of Human Infections: Old Bones, Antique Books, Ancient and Modern Molecules, Page 1 of 2
< Previous page | Next page > /docserver/preview/fulltext/microbiolspec/4/4/PoH-0014-2015-1.gif /docserver/preview/fulltext/microbiolspec/4/4/PoH-0014-2015-2.gif

References

Article metrics loading...
Abstract:
Paleopathology studies the traces of disease on human and animal remains from ancient times. Infectious diseases have been, for over a century, one of its main fields of interest. The applications of paleogenetics methods to microbial aDNA, that started in the 90s combined to the recent development of new sequencing techniques allowing ‘paleogenomics’ approaches, have completely renewed the issue of the infections in the past. These advances open up new challenges in the understanding of the evolution of human-pathogen relationships, integrated in “One Health” concept.
In this perspective, an integrative multidisciplinary approach combining data from ancient texts and old bones to those of old molecules is of great interest for reconstructing the past of human infections. Despite some too optimistic prediction of their eradication in the late 20th century, some of these ancient human diseases, such as plague, leprosy or tuberculosis, are still present and continue their evolution at the beginning of this 21rst century. Better know the past to predict a part of the future of human diseases remains, more than ever, the motto of the paleopathological science.

Full text loading...
Figures

Click to view
FIGURE 1
Paleopathological (A) and historical (B) illustrations of superficial vertebral lesions due to tuberculosis: (A) Paleopathological case dating from the end of the 18th century (Dutour, 2011). (B) Historical description made by Victor Ménard in 1888 ( 63 ).
Tables

Click to view
TABLE 1
Plague epidemics and the first molecular identification of ancient DNA (aDNA) of Yersinia pestis
Supplemental Material
No supplementary material available for this content.