Ancient pathogens and pandemics in Africa

Africa harbors a diverse range of populations with different ways of life that have co-existed for prolonged periods. Studying human remains reveals past ways of life and how humans coped with external challenges.

The shift from hunting-gathering to food-producing behaviors had significant implications for human behavior patterns, socio-culture, health, and pathogen exposure.

Previous research highlights microbial metagenome data from human remains can identify infections from bacteria, viruses, and protozoans.

Analyzing shotgun sequence data from African ancient DNA (aDNA) collected from diverse archaeological contexts provides valuable insights into past pathogen infections.

Our study aims to combine microbial metagenome data with endogenous genomic data obtained from ancient DNA sequencing of the individuals themselves.

By analyzing these combined datasets, along with archaeological contexts and carbon dating data, we can explore how external factors such as pathogen exposure changed over time and how humans adapted to these changes.

This approach also investigates the evolution of specific pathogens over time, illuminating potential patterns of host-pathogen coevolution, including changes in pathogen virulence and resistance.

Our study offers a unique opportunity to understand the complex interplay between humans and their microbial pathogens throughout history, providing valuable insights into the evolution of infectious diseases.