Exploring antimicrobial resistance determinants in the Neanderthal microbiome

Area of Science:

• Paleogenomics
• Microbial Ecology
• Evolutionary Biology

Background:

• Antimicrobial resistance determinants (ARDs) are a growing global health concern.
• Understanding the evolutionary history of ARDs can provide insights into their emergence and spread.
• Neanderthal microbiomes offer a unique window into ancient microbial communities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the presence and characteristics of ARDs in the Neanderthal microbiome.
• To explore the potential for ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis in identifying ARDs.
• To compare ancient ARD profiles with modern antibiotic resistance trends.

Main Methods:

• Metagenomic analysis of DNA from Neanderthal dental calculus and fecal sediments.
• Targeted locus mapping and consensus strategy for ARD identification.
• Construction of a comprehensive ARD database and utilization of the KMA tool for read alignment.

Main Results:

• A limited number of ARDs were identified, with only one exhibiting aDNA characteristics (23S ribosomal gene).
• No ARDs with typical aDNA damage patterns were detected.
• Taxonomy-habitat correlation suggested putative ARDs, but findings were limited by DNA degradation and contamination.

Conclusions:

• Identifying ARDs in ancient Neanderthal microbiomes is challenging due to aDNA limitations.
• The scarcity of ancient ARDs suggests modern antibiotic resistance may be primarily anthropogenic.
• Further methodological advancements are needed to fully explore prehistoric microbial genomes.