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One Health Approaches to Trace Mycobacterium leprae's Zoonotic Potential Through Time

Christian Urban1, Alette A Blom2, Saskia Pfrengle1

  • 1Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.

Frontiers in Microbiology
|November 8, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Hansen's disease (leprosy) transmission history can be better understood by combining genetic analysis of *Mycobacterium leprae* from ancient remains with historical and zooarchaeological data. This interdisciplinary approach reveals the disease's zoonotic past and potential for spread.

Area of Science:

  • Paleopathology
  • Ancient DNA Analysis
  • Historical Research
  • Zooarchaeology

Background:

  • Hansen's disease (leprosy), caused by *Mycobacterium leprae*, has a long history affecting humans globally.
  • While rare in Europe, it causes over 200,000 new infections annually in Asia, Africa, and South America.
  • Previous research utilized palaeopathology, ancient DNA, and historical records to understand leprosy's past, particularly in medieval Europe.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the potential of interdisciplinary approaches to understand the history of Hansen's disease.
  • To investigate the unexplored phenomenon of inter-species transmission in the disease's history.
  • To integrate genetic, zooarchaeological, and historical data to elucidate disease transmission dynamics.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of genetic evidence of *Mycobacterium leprae* from archaeological remains.
  • Systematic zooarchaeological analysis of animal remains and human-animal interactions.
  • Historical analysis of social behaviors and motivations related to species interaction.

Main Results:

  • The study proposes a novel combination of methods to reconstruct disease transmission pathways.
  • This integrated approach can identify the timing and direction of leprosy transmission.
  • It can also illuminate social factors influencing the spread of *M. leprae* between species.

Conclusions:

  • Interdisciplinary research is crucial for understanding the zoonotic history of Hansen's disease.
  • Combining genetic, zooarchaeological, and historical data offers significant potential for future insights.
  • This approach is vital for understanding both the historical and current potential of leprosy transmission.
Keywords:
Mycobacterium lepraeOne Healthancient biomoleculesancient pathogensleprosypalaeomicrobiologypalaeopathologyzoonosis

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