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Bonczarowska JH, Susat J, Mühlemann B, Jasch-Boley I, Brather S, Höke B, Brather-Walter S, Schoenenberg V, Scheschkewitz J, Graenert G, Krausse D, Francken M, Jones TC, Wahl J, Nebel A, Krause-Kyora B. Pathogen genomics study of an early medieval community in Germany reveals extensive co-infections. Genome Biol 2022; 23:250. [PMID: 36510283 PMCID: PMC9746117 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-022-02806-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The pathogen landscape in the Early European Middle Ages remains largely unexplored. Here, we perform a systematic pathogen screening of the rural community Lauchheim "Mittelhofen," in present-day Germany, dated to the Merovingian period, between fifth and eighth century CE. Skeletal remains of individuals were subjected to an ancient DNA metagenomic analysis. Genomes of the detected pathogens were reconstructed and analyzed phylogenetically. RESULTS Over 30% of the individuals exhibit molecular signs of infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV), parvovirus B19, variola virus (VARV), and Mycobacterium leprae. Seven double and one triple infection were detected. We reconstructed four HBV genomes and one genome each of B19, VARV, and M. leprae. All HBV genomes are of genotype D4 which is rare in Europe today. The VARV strain exhibits a unique pattern of gene loss indicating that viruses with different gene compositions were circulating in the Early Middle Ages. The M. leprae strain clustered in branch 3 together with the oldest to-date genome from the UK. CONCLUSIONS The high burden of infectious disease, together with osteological markers of physiological stress, reflect a poor health status of the community. This could have been an indirect result of the climate decline in Europe at the time, caused by the Late Antique Little Ice Age (LALIA). Our findings suggest that LALIA may have created an ecological context in which persistent outbreaks set the stage for major epidemics of severe diseases such as leprosy and smallpox hundreds of years later.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna H. Bonczarowska
- grid.9764.c0000 0001 2153 9986Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, 24105 Kiel, Germany
| | - Julian Susat
- grid.9764.c0000 0001 2153 9986Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, 24105 Kiel, Germany
| | - Barbara Mühlemann
- grid.7468.d0000 0001 2248 7639Institute of Virology, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, 10117 Berlin, Germany ,grid.452463.2German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Charité, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Isabelle Jasch-Boley
- grid.10392.390000 0001 2190 1447Institute for Archaeological Sciences, Palaeoanthropology Working Group, University of Tübingen, Rümelinstrasse 23, 72070 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Sebastian Brather
- grid.5963.9Institute of Archaeology, Freiburg University, Belfortstraße 22, 79085 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Benjamin Höke
- grid.461756.70000 0001 2323 9995Landesamt für Denkmalpflege im Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart, Berliner Straße 12, 73728 Esslingen, Germany
| | - Susanne Brather-Walter
- grid.5963.9Institute of Archaeology, Freiburg University, Belfortstraße 22, 79085 Freiburg, Germany
| | | | - Jonathan Scheschkewitz
- grid.461756.70000 0001 2323 9995Landesamt für Denkmalpflege im Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart, Berliner Straße 12, 73728 Esslingen, Germany
| | - Gabriele Graenert
- grid.461756.70000 0001 2323 9995Landesamt für Denkmalpflege im Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart, Berliner Straße 12, 73728 Esslingen, Germany
| | - Dirk Krausse
- grid.461756.70000 0001 2323 9995Landesamt für Denkmalpflege im Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart, Berliner Straße 12, 73728 Esslingen, Germany
| | - Michael Francken
- grid.461756.70000 0001 2323 9995Landesamt für Denkmalpflege im Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Terry C. Jones
- grid.7468.d0000 0001 2248 7639Institute of Virology, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, 10117 Berlin, Germany ,grid.5335.00000000121885934Center for Pathogen Evolution, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ UK
| | - Joachim Wahl
- grid.10392.390000 0001 2190 1447Institute for Archaeological Sciences, Palaeoanthropology Working Group, University of Tübingen, Rümelinstrasse 23, 72070 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Almut Nebel
- grid.9764.c0000 0001 2153 9986Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, 24105 Kiel, Germany
| | - Ben Krause-Kyora
- grid.9764.c0000 0001 2153 9986Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, 24105 Kiel, Germany
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