title: Tuberculosis epidemiology and selection in an autochthonous Siberian population from the 16th-19th century.
abstract: Tuberculosis is one of most ancient diseases affecting human populations. Although numerous studies have tried to detect pathogenic DNA in ancient skeletons, the successful identification of ancient tuberculosis strains remains rare. Here, we describe a study of 140 ancient subjects inhumed in Yakutia (Eastern Siberia) during a tuberculosis outbreak, dating from the 16(th)-19(th) century. For a long time, Yakut populations had remained isolated from European populations, and it was not until the beginning of the 17(th) century that first contacts were made with European settlers. Subsequently, tuberculosis spread throughout Yakutia, and the evolution of tuberculosis frequencies can be tracked until the 19(th) century. This study took a multidisciplinary approach, examining historical and paleo-epidemiological data to understand the impact of tuberculosis on ancient Yakut population. In addition, molecular identification of the ancient tuberculosis strain was realized to elucidate the natural history and host-pathogen co-evolution of human tuberculosis that was present in this population. This was achieved by the molecular detection of the IS6110 sequence and SNP genotyping by the SNaPshot technique. Results demonstrated that the strain belongs to cluster PGG2-SCG-5, evocating a European origin. Our study suggests that the Yakut population may have been shaped by selection pressures, exerted by several illnesses, including tuberculosis, over several centuries. This confirms the validity and necessity of using a multidisciplinary approach to understand the natural history of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and disease.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Anthropology and Image Synthesis (AMIS) Laboratory, UMR 5288, CNRS, University of Toulouse (Paul Sabatier 3); University of Strasbourg, Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Henri
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dabernat
authors.affiliation: Molecular Anthropology and Image Synthesis (AMIS) Laboratory, UMR 5288, CNRS, University of Toulouse (Paul Sabatier 3); University of Strasbourg, Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Thèves
authors.affiliation: Molecular Anthropology and Image Synthesis (AMIS) Laboratory, UMR 5288, CNRS, University of Toulouse (Paul Sabatier 3); University of Strasbourg, Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bouakaze
authors.affiliation: Cultural History Centre of Contemporary Societies (CHCSC), University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, Versailles, France.
authors.forename: Dariya
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nikolaeva
authors.affiliation: Molecular Anthropology and Image Synthesis (AMIS) Laboratory, UMR 5288, CNRS, University of Toulouse (Paul Sabatier 3); University of Strasbourg, Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Keyser
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology, St. Petersburg Pasteur Institute, St. Petersburg, Russia.
authors.forename: Igor
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mokrousov
authors.affiliation: Molecular Anthropology and Image Synthesis (AMIS) Laboratory, UMR 5288, CNRS, University of Toulouse (Paul Sabatier 3); University of Strasbourg, Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Annie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Géraut
authors.affiliation: Molecular Anthropology and Image Synthesis (AMIS) Laboratory, UMR 5288, CNRS, University of Toulouse (Paul Sabatier 3); University of Strasbourg, Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Sylvie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Duchesne
authors.affiliation: Molecular Anthropology and Image Synthesis (AMIS) Laboratory, UMR 5288, CNRS, University of Toulouse (Paul Sabatier 3); University of Strasbourg, Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Patrice
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gérard
authors.affiliation: Institute of the Humanities and the Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Yakutsk, Russia.
authors.forename: Anatoly N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Alexeev
authors.affiliation: Molecular Anthropology and Image Synthesis (AMIS) Laboratory, UMR 5288, CNRS, University of Toulouse (Paul Sabatier 3); University of Strasbourg, Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Crubézy
authors.affiliation: Molecular Anthropology and Image Synthesis (AMIS) Laboratory, UMR 5288, CNRS, University of Toulouse (Paul Sabatier 3); University of Strasbourg, Toulouse, France ; Institute of Legal Medicine, University Paris Descartes, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Bertrand
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ludes
mesh_terms: D016000:Cluster Analysis; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000235:genetics / Q000266:history*; D005838:Genotype; D049669:History, 16th Century; D049670:History, 17th Century; D049671:History, 18th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D006801:Humans; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000235:genetics*; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics; D012641:Selection, Genetic; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA / Q000379:methods; D012800:Siberia / Q000453:epidemiology; D014394:Tuberculosis, Osteoarticular / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000266:history* / Q000473:pathology