Abstract
Genetic analyses of pre- and post-contact North American Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex strains
Abstract
The origins of tuberculosis (TB) in the New World have long been a topic of debate. Ample skeletal evidence for TB is present in the precontact New World. Currently, New World TB is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) strains of European origin, suggesting that pre-existing MTBC strains were replaced following European contact. Previous research from our group led to the recovery of three 1000-year old MTBC genomes from skeletal TB cases from coastal Peru; these ancient Peruvian MTBC strains are closely related to MTBC strains found in pinnipeds. However, it remains unknown whether such pinniped-derived MTBC strains spread to the inland parts of South America as well as North America by human-to-human transmission. The present work focuses on skeletal TB cases (n=13) from pre-contact, protohistoric, and historic sites from Alaska. DNA was extracted using a silica-based method and tested for presence of MTBC DNA using quantitative PCR (qPCR) assays. Eight DNA extracts tested positive for a region of the rpoB gene specific to the MTBC and nine extracts tested positive for the IS6110 repeat element. Insolution target enrichment and sequencing of MTBC-specific genes is underway for these samples, as well as for samples from other pre and post-contact sites from the Americas. Such analyses will help determine coverage as well as authenticate the presence of ancient DNA. Additionally, samples that test positive are being enriched for the entire MTBC genome using an array-capture method and then sequenced. Analyses of these genomic data are currently ongoing.
Full Citation
Honap, T.P., Å. Vågene, A. Herbig, M.S. Rosenberg, J.E. Buikstra, K.I. Bos, J. Krause, and A.C. Stone (2016) Genetic analyses of pre- and post-contact North American Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex strains. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 159(S62):177.
DOI
10.1002/ajpa.22955Direct Download
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