title: Human tuberculosis--an ancient disease, as elucidated by ancient microbial biomolecules.
abstract: Tuberculosis is a major cause of death but infected people with effective immunity may remain healthy for years, suggesting long-term co-existence of host and pathogen. Direct detection and characterisation of ancient microbial DNA and lipid biomarkers confirms palaeopathological diagnoses. Archaeological Mycobacterium tuberculosis resembles extant lineages indicating the timescale for evolutionary changes is considerably longer than originally believed.
authors.affiliation: Division of Infection and Immunity, Centre for Infectious Diseases and International Health, University College London, London W1T 4JF, UK. h.donoghue@ucl.ac.uk
authors.forename: Helen D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Donoghue
mesh_terms: D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D049690:History, Ancient; D006801:Humans; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000235:genetics*; D010164:Paleopathology; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000266:history* / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial