title: Studies of Ancient Lice Reveal Unsuspected Past Migrations of Vectors.
abstract: Lice are among the oldest parasites of humans representing an excellent marker of the evolution and migration of our species over time. Here, we analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) developed in this study the mitochondrial DNA of seven ancient head louse eggs found on hair remains recovered from two sites in Israel: 1) five nits dating from Chalcolithic period (4,000 bc) were found in the Cave of the Treasure located at Nahal Mishmar, in the Judean Desert and 2) two nits dating from Early Islamic Period (ad 650-810) were found in Nahal Omer in the Arava Valley (between Dead Sea and Red Sea). Our results suggest that these eggs belonged to people originating from west Africa based on identification of the louse mitochondrial sub-clade specific to that region.
authors.affiliation: Unité de Recherche sur les Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales Emergentes (URMITE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale Unité, and Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire Méditerranée-Infection, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France; Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, The Kuvin Center for the Study of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Hadassah Medical School, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: Rezak
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Drali
authors.affiliation: Unité de Recherche sur les Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales Emergentes (URMITE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale Unité, and Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire Méditerranée-Infection, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France; Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, The Kuvin Center for the Study of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Hadassah Medical School, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: Kosta Y
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Mumcuoglu
authors.affiliation: Unité de Recherche sur les Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales Emergentes (URMITE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale Unité, and Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire Méditerranée-Infection, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France; Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, The Kuvin Center for the Study of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Hadassah Medical School, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: Gonca
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yesilyurt
authors.affiliation: Unité de Recherche sur les Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales Emergentes (URMITE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale Unité, and Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire Méditerranée-Infection, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France; Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, The Kuvin Center for the Study of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Hadassah Medical School, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel didier.raoult@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Didier
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Raoult
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004531:Eggs; D004641:Emigration and Immigration / Q000266:history; D049690:History, Ancient; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel; D010373:Lice Infestations / Q000266:history*; D010374:Pediculus / Q000235:genetics*; D010802:Phylogeny; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction