Biology Faculty Books and Book Chapters
Chapter 8: Ancient DNA in the Study of Ancient Disease
Book Title
Ortner's Identification of Pathological Conditions in Human Skeletal Remains
ORCID ID
0000-0003-4540-7106
ResearcherID
D-1147-2018
Document Type
Book Chapter
ISBN
9780128097380
Publication Date
2-2019
Editors
Jane E. Buikstra
Keywords
Ancient DNA, Disease, Pathogen evolution, Bacteria, Viruses, Parasites, Microbiome
Description
The study of ancient disease can now include direct analyses of all or part of the genomes of pathogens through ancient DNA techniques. Such analyses are challenging since due to several factors including preservation, pathogen load and location in the body, environmental microbial contamination, and current understanding of microbial pathogenicity. When successful, ancient DNA analyses have provided insight into the evolutionary history of a number of human and animal pathogens. In addition, recent microbiome analyses have shed light on how cultural and environmental changes have altered microbial profiles across the human body and impacted host health. In this chapter, we summarize the history and current state of the field as well as posit future directions for research associated with the study of ancient disease.
DOI
10.1016/B978-0-12-809738-0.00008-9
Publisher
Academic Press
First Page
183
Last Page
210
Disciplines
Anthropology | Biological and Physical Anthropology | Genetics and Genomics | Life Sciences
NSUWorks Citation
Stone, Anne C. and Andrew T. Ozga. (2019). Chapter 8: Ancient DNA in the Study of Ancient Disease. In Jane E. Buikstra (Eds.), Ortner's Identification of Pathological Conditions in Human Skeletal Remains .