US EditionLandmark DNA Study Maps 37,000 Years of Zoonotic Disease Emergence
EURASIA, JUL 09 – The study recovered DNA from 214 pathogens and traced ancient zoonotic diseases back 6,500 years, offering insights important for vaccine development and disease mutation understanding.
- Researchers published a landmark study on July 9 in Nature detailing ancient zoonotic diseases from Eurasian human DNA up to 37,000 years old.
- The study revealed that a major shift in disease risk occurred about 6,500 years ago, coinciding with humans adopting farming and animal husbandry.
- Scientists analyzed DNA from 1,313 prehistoric humans and identified 214 pathogens, including the plague bacterium Yersinia pestis in 5,500-year-old samples.
- Associate Professor Martin Sikora emphasized that gaining insights from historical events is crucial for anticipating future challenges, especially since zoonotic diseases now account for over 60% of newly emerging infectious infections.
- The findings suggest ancient infections influenced human population changes and genetic adaptation and may guide development of vaccines against future emerging pathogens.
14 Articles
14 Articles
A new study has found the earliest examples of diseases transmitted from animals to humans. This knowledge could have implications for the development of vaccines in the future.
Largest study of ancient DNA traces infectious diseases through history
A research team led by Eske Willerslev, professor at the University of Copenhagen and the University of Cambridge, has recovered ancient DNA from 214 known human pathogens in prehistoric humans from Eurasia.
The spatiotemporal distribution of human pathogens in ancient Eurasia
Infectious diseases have had devastating effects on human populations throughout history, but important questions about their origins and past dynamics remain1. To create an archaeogenetic-based spatiotemporal map of human pathogens, we screened shotgun-sequencing data from 1,313 ancient humans covering 37,000 years of Eurasian history. We demonstrate the widespread presence of ancient bacterial, viral and parasite DNA, identifying 5,486 individ…
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