title: Detecting the immune system response of a 500 year-old Inca mummy.
abstract: Disease detection in historical samples currently relies on DNA extraction and amplification, or immunoassays. These techniques only establish pathogen presence rather than active disease. We report the first use of shotgun proteomics to detect the protein expression profile of buccal swabs and cloth samples from two 500-year-old Andean mummies. The profile of one of the mummies is consistent with immune system response to severe pulmonary bacterial infection at the time of death. Presence of a probably pathogenic Mycobacterium sp. in one buccal swab was confirmed by DNA amplification, sequencing, and phylogenetic analyses. Our study provides positive evidence of active pathogenic infection in an ancient sample for the first time. The protocol introduced here is less susceptible to contamination than DNA-based or immunoassay-based studies. In scarce forensic samples, shotgun proteomics narrows the range of pathogens to detect using DNA assays, reducing cost. This analytical technique can be broadly applied for detecting infection in ancient samples to answer questions on the historical ecology of specific pathogens, as well as in medico-legal cases when active pathogenic infection is suspected.
authors: Department of Sciences, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York, New York, New York, United States of America. aspcorthals@gmail.com
authors: Angelique
authors: A
authors: Corthals
authors: Antonius
authors: A
authors: Koller
authors: Dwight W
authors: DW
authors: Martin
authors: Robert
authors: R
authors: Rieger
authors: Emily I
authors: EI
authors: Chen
authors: Mario
authors: M
authors: Bernaski
authors: Gabriella
authors: G
authors: Recagno
authors: Liliana M
authors: LM
authors: Dávalos
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007199:Indians, South American; D008297:Male; D009106:Mummies; D009161:Mycobacterium / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*; D009164:Mycobacterium Infections / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*