title: Plasmodium falciparum malaria in 1st-2ndcentury CE southern Italy.
abstract: The historical record attests to the devastation malaria exacted on ancient civilizations, particularly the Roman Empire [1]. However, evidence for the presence of malaria during the Imperial period in Italy (1st-5th century CE) is based on indirect sources, such as historical, epigraphic, or skeletal evidence. Although these sources are crucial for revealing the context of this disease, they cannot establish the causative species of Plasmodium. Importantly, definitive evidence for the presence of malaria is now possible through the implementation of ancient DNA technology. As malaria is presumed to have been at its zenith during the Imperial period [1], we selected first or second molars from 58 adults from three cemeteries from this time: Isola Sacra (associated with Portus Romae, 1st-3rd century CE), Velia (1st-2nd century CE), and Vagnari (1st-4th century CE). We performed hybridization capture using baits designed from the mitochondrial (mtDNA) genomes of Plasmodium spp. on a prioritized subset of 11 adults (informed by metagenomic sequencing). The mtDNA sequences generated provided compelling phylogenetic evidence for the presence of P. falciparum in two individuals. This is the first genomic data directly implicating P. falciparum in Imperial period southern Italy in adults.
authors.affiliation: McMaster Ancient DNA Centre, Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L9, Canada; Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L9, Canada. Electronic address: marcis@mcmaster.ca.
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Marciniak
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L9, Canada.
authors.forename: Tracy L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Prowse
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L9, Canada.
authors.forename: D Ann
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Herring
authors.affiliation: McMaster Ancient DNA Centre, Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L9, Canada; Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L9, Canada.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Klunk
authors.affiliation: McMaster Ancient DNA Centre, Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L9, Canada.
authors.forename: Melanie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kuch
authors.affiliation: McMaster Ancient DNA Centre, Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L9, Canada; Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L9, Canada.
authors.forename: Ana T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Duggan
authors.affiliation: Museo delle Civiltà, Museo Nazionale Preistorico Etnografico 'Luigi Pigorini', Sezione di Bioarcheologia, P. le G. Marconi 14, 00144, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bondioli
authors.affiliation: Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Charles Perkins Centre, School of Life and Environmental Sciences and Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
authors.forename: Edward C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Holmes
authors.affiliation: McMaster Ancient DNA Centre, Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L9, Canada; Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L9, Canada; Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L9, Canada; DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L9, Canada; Humans & the Microbiome Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1Z8, Canada. Electronic address: poinarh@mcmaster.ca.
authors.forename: Hendrik N
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: Poinar
mesh_terms: D002102:Cadaver; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics; D049690:History, Ancient; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000266:history*; D008963:Molar / Q000737:chemistry; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D018644:Roman World / Q000266:history
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D016054:DNA, Protozoan