Staphylococcus aureus Sequences from Osteomyelitic Specimens of a Pathological Bone Collection from Pre-Antibiotic Times

Staphylococcus aureus is a major pathogen causing osteomyelitis, amongst other diseases, and its methicillin-resistant form (MRSA) in particular poses a huge threat to public health. To increase our knowledge of the origin and evolution of S. aureus, genetic studies of historical microorganisms may be beneficial. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate whether osteomyelitic skeletal material (autopsy specimens collected from the mid 19th century until the 1920s) is suitable for detecting historical S. aureus DNA sequences. We established a PCR-based analysis system targeting two specific genes of S. aureus (nuc and fib). We successfully amplified the historical S. aureus nuc and fib sequences for six and seven pre-antibiotic, osteomyelitic bone specimens, respectively. These results encourage further investigations of historical S. aureus genomes that may increase our understanding of pathogen evolution in relation to anthropogenically introduced antibiotics

AnthroWorks3D: Digitalisierung von Skelettfundstücken und die virtuell osteologische Untersuchung

In der Anthropologie werden körperliche Überreste von Menschen historischer und rezenter Zeiträume mit dem Ziel der Aufdeckung ihrer Lebensumstände untersucht. Das Projekt AnthroWorks3D der Hochschule Mittweida verbindet Methoden der Videospielentwicklung und Osteologie, um das Knochenmaterial schonend und hoch-auflösend durch eine 3D-Scanpipeline zu digitalisieren und virtuell, ortsunabhängig und parallel zu vermessen mit dem Ziel, den Verschleiß am Knochenmaterial zu minimieren und die Fundstücke möglichst vielen Forschen-den zugänglich zu machen. Die virtuelle Vermessung wurde in einem ersten Test in Zusammenarbeit der Abtei-lung für historische Anthropologie und Humanökologie des Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach-Instituts für Zoologie und Anthropologie der Universität Göttingen evaluiert. Dabei schätzen über die Hälfte der befragten Anthropo-logen den Prototypen als Alternative zur physischen Untersuchung ein, besonders in Anwendungsfeldern, in denen das Knochenmaterial nur schwer zugänglich ist

Mass burial genomics reveals outbreak of enteric paratyphoid fever in the Late Medieval trade city Lübeck

Medieval Europe was repeatedly affected by outbreaks of infectious diseases, some of which reached epidemic proportions. A Late Medieval mass burial next to the Heiligen-Geist-Hospital in Lübeck (present-day Germany) contained the skeletal remains of more than 800 individuals who had presumably died from infectious disease. From 92 individuals, we screened the ancient DNA extracts for the presence of pathogens to determine the cause of death. Metagenomic analysis revealed evidence of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Paratyphi C, suggesting an outbreak of enteric paratyphoid fever. Three reconstructed S. Paratyphi C genomes showed close similarity to a strain from Norway (1200 CE). Radiocarbon dates placed the disease outbreak in Lübeck between 1270 and 1400 cal CE, with historical records indicating 1367 CE as the most probable year. The deceased were of northern and eastern European descent, confirming Lübeck as an important trading center of the Hanseatic League in the Baltic region

Metagenomic Screening of ancient DNA from a Late Medieval mass burial site in Lübeck, Northern Germany, revealed occurence of S. Paratyphi C.

In the Middle Ages, European settlements of all sizes were repeatedly affected by outbreaks of infectious diseases. A Late Medieval mass-burial site next to the Heiligen-Geist-Hospital (HGH) in Lübeck, a city of the Hanseatic League, contained the skeletal remains of more than 800 individuals assumed to have died of an infectious disease, most probably of the plague. Metagenomic screening on ancient DNA extracts revealed evidence of an infection with Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Paratyphi C, suggesting an epidemic outbreak of enteric paratyphoid fever. Based on radiocarbon dates, we determined the enteric paratyphoid fever outbreak in Lübeck to have occurred between 1360 and 1400 CE, historical records indicating the year 1367 CE as the most probable date