Palaeopathology and genes: investigating the genetics of infectious diseases in excavated human skeletal remains and mummies from past populations

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.

Keywords: Ancient DNA; Ancient disease; HIV; HPV; HTLV-1; Human T-cell lymphotrophic virus type I; Human immunodeficiency virus; Human papilloma virus; MNI; Minimum number of individuals; Mummies; PCR; Palaeomicrobiology; Palaeoparasitology; Palaeopathology; Polymerase chain reaction; RLEP; Repetitive elements; SNPs; Single nucleotide polymorphisms; TB; Tuberculosis; aDNA.