耶尔西尼亚瘟疫的基因组揭示了4000年前英国的瘟疫
Pooja Swali1, Rick Schulting2, Alexandre Gilardet3
1Ancient Genomics Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, London, UK. swalipooja@gmail.com.
Nature communications
|May 30, 2023
概括
在英国发现了最早的新石器晚期和青铜时代 (LNBA) 瘟疫的证据,可追溯到4000年前. 这种古老的瘟疫菌株Yersinia pestis,在欧亚大陆显示出显著的传染性.
科学领域:
- 古生物生物学 古生物生物学
- 古代DNA分析 古代DNA分析
- 考古遗传学 考古遗传学
背景情况:
- 在欧亚大陆发现了已灭绝的Yersinia pestis血统,可追溯到现在 (BP) 之前的5000年至2500年.
- 据推测,Yersinia pestis的新石器晚期和青铜时代 (LNBA) 血统与从欧亚大草原迁移的人口一起传播到欧洲.
研究的目的:
- 调查LNBA瘟疫血统在西北欧洲的存在和传播.
- 为了建立英国LNBA瘟疫的最早的记录证据.
主要方法:
- 从英国的考古遗迹中对三种Yersinia pestis基因组进行了测序.
- 用放射性碳测年人类遗骸,以确定时间上下文 (大约4000卡路里).
- 遗传学分析以确定古代Yersinia pestis菌株的血统和亚系.
主要成果:
- 在英国发现LNBA瘟疫的最早证据,可追溯到大约在现在之前4000年 (cal BP).
- 来自英国的三个Yersinia pestis基因组被测序,揭示了以前在青铜时代中欧发现的亚系.
- 这种亚系,以yapC基因的丧失为特征,后来在东亚 (约3200卡路里前) 也被确定.
结论:
- LNBA瘟疫蔓延到英国西北边缘,表明在几个世纪内在广的地理区域具有显著的传播能力.
- 这些发现有助于理解古代流行病学和Yersinia pestis在新石器晚期和青铜时代的传播.
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