Ancient viral genomes reveal introduction of human pathogenic viruses into Mexico during the transatlantic slave trade
Por:
Guzman-Solis, Axel A., Villa-Islas, Viridiana, Bravo-Lopez, Miriam J., Sandoval-Velasco, Marcela, Wesp, Julie K., Gomez-Valdes, Jorge A., Moreno-Cabrera M.L., Meraz, Alejandro, Solis-Pichardo, Gabriela, Schaaf, Peter, TenOever, Benjamin R., Blanco-Melo, Daniel, Avila Arcos, Maria C.
Publicada:
5 ago 2021
Resumen:
After the European colonization of the Americas, there was a dramatic
population collapse of the Indigenous inhabitants caused in part by the
introduction of new pathogens. Although there is much speculation on the
etiology of the Colonial epidemics, direct evidence for the presence of
specific viruses during the Colonial era is lacking. To uncover the
diversity of viral pathogens during this period, we designed an
enrichment assay targeting ancient DNA (aDNA) from viruses of clinical
importance and applied it to DNA extracts from individuals found in a
Colonial hospital and a Colonial chapel (16th-18th century) where
records suggest that victims of epidemics were buried during important
outbreaks in Mexico City. This allowed us to reconstruct three ancient
human parvovirus B19 genomes and one ancient human hepatitis B virus
genome from distinct individuals. The viral genomes are similar to
African strains, consistent with the inferred morphological and genetic
African ancestry of the hosts as well as with the isotopic analysis of
the human remains, suggesting an origin on the African continent. This
study provides direct molecular evidence of ancient viruses being
transported to the Americas during the transatlantic slave trade and
their subsequent introduction to New Spain. Altogether, our observations
enrich the discussion about the etiology of infectious diseases during
the Colonial period in Mexico.
Filiaciones:
Guzman-Solis, Axel A.:
International Laboratory for Human Genome Research, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico
Villa-Islas, Viridiana:
International Laboratory for Human Genome Research, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico
Bravo-Lopez, Miriam J.:
International Laboratory for Human Genome Research, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico
Sandoval-Velasco, Marcela:
Section for Evolutionary Genomics, The Globe Institute, Faculty of Health, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Wesp, Julie K.:
Department of Sociology and Anthropology, North Carolina State University, United States
Gomez-Valdes, Jorge A.:
Escuela Nacional de Antropologia e Historia, Mexico
Moreno-Cabrera M.L.:
Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia, Mexico
Meraz, Alejandro:
Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia, Mexico
Solis-Pichardo, Gabriela:
Laboratorio Universitario de Geoquímica Isotópica (LUGIS), Instituto de Geología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico
Schaaf, Peter:
LUGIS, Instituto de Geofísica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico
TenOever, Benjamin R.:
Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNY, United States
Blanco-Melo, Daniel:
Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNY, United States
Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research CenterWA, United States
Avila Arcos, Maria C.:
International Laboratory for Human Genome Research, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico
Green Submitted, gold, Green Published, Gold
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