Human Coprolites as a Source for Paleomicrobiology

Appelt, Sandra; Drancourt, Michel; Bailly, Matthieu Le

doi:10.1128/microbiolspec.poh-0002-2014

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 106 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Due to the continuous microbial activities and deposition of other substances around coprolites as well as the change in taphonomic conditions such as temperature, humidity, and oxygen concentration, the non-contamination downstream analysis is a great challenge (Appelt et al, 2016). In addition, an important issue in archaeozoology is the use of extant animal materials, such as bones, teeth, and feces, as control samples to interpret the results from the fossil record.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Technological Advance and Application of Coprolite Analysis

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Coprolites (mummified or fossilized feces), belonging to the group of ichnofossils, are fossilized remains of feces produced by animals. Various types of data from coprolites provide detailed evidence of the producer’s condition, like diet, intestinal microbiome, virus infection and parasites diseases. In addition, the palaeoenvironment information relevant to producers’ ecological niche can be drawn from taphonomy details the coprolites mirrored. At present, the phylogenetic clues of the producer’s population can be determined by advanced molecular biotechnologies. With the integration of multiple methods and techniques, coprolite has been widely accepted as an ideal material to study the diet, evolution, and palaeoenvironment of producers. In this paper, we reviewed the history of coprolite research, enumerated and interpreted the data recovered from coprolites, and explained their research value to palaeocoprology and evolutionary biology. Finally, we summarized the current directions of coprolite research and looked into its future prospects.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Technological Advance and Application of Coprolite Analysis

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…These remains represent dried and mineralized fossilized faeces respectively. A paleomicrobiological analysis of coprolites has already provided information about a variety of organisms, including micro‐eukaryotes, bacteria, and archaea, present in this material, thus enhancing our understanding of ancient human diet, gut microbiota, and intestinal and systemic diseases (Appelt et al., 2016). Faeces are more rarely preserved with their original intestinal microbiome, but exceptional cases of preservation do exist, such as in salt‐rich environments (salt mines) (Maixner et al., 2021) or dry desert ones (Wibowo et al., 2021) that allow for a rapid desiccation of the samples.…”

Section: Host‐associated Ancient Microbial Communitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Paleomicrobiology: Tracking the past microbial life from single species to entire microbial communities

Grasso,

Bianciotto,

Marmeisse

2024

Microbial Biotechnology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

By deciphering information encoded in degraded ancient DNA extracted from up to million‐years‐old samples, molecular paleomicrobiology enables to objectively retrace the temporal evolution of microbial species and communities. Assembly of full‐length genomes of ancient pathogen lineages allows not only to follow historical epidemics in space and time but also to identify the acquisition of genetic features that represent landmarks in the evolution of the host–microbe interaction. Analysis of microbial community DNA extracted from essentially human paleo‐artefacts (paleofeces, dental calculi) evaluates the relative contribution of diet, lifestyle and geography on the taxonomic and functional diversity of these guilds in which have been identified species that may have gone extinct in today's human microbiome. As for non‐host‐associated environmental samples, such as stratified sediment cores, analysis of their DNA illustrates how and at which pace microbial communities are affected by local or widespread environmental disturbance. Description of pre‐disturbance microbial diversity patterns can aid in evaluating the relevance and effectiveness of remediation policies. We finally discuss how recent achievements in paleomicrobiology could contribute to microbial biotechnology in the fields of medical microbiology and food science to trace the domestication of microorganisms used in food processing or to illustrate the historic evolution of food processing microbial consortia.

show abstract

“…This mixture can originate from several individuals, humans and animals, all living together in villages or settlements. Palaeoparasitological remains associated with individuals, such as coprolites or mummified organs, are scarce, especially in Europe (Bouchet et al 2003; Appelt et al 2016). Accuracy issues in the diagnosis of ancient parasites with microscopic approaches can occur due to the difficulty in distinguishing human parasites from animal parasites in many cases.…”

Section: Palaeoparasitology and Samplesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Palaeoparasitology and palaeogenetics: review and perspectives for the study of ancient human parasites

Côté

Bailly

2017

Parasitology

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

While some species of parasites can be identified to species level from archaeological remains using microscopy (i.e. Enterobius vermicularis, Clonorchis sinensis), others can only be identified to family or genus level as different species produce eggs with similar morphology (i.e. Tænia sp. and Echinococcus sp.). Molecular and immunological approaches offer the possibility to provide more precise determination at the species level. They can also identify taxa when classic parasite markers such as eggs or cysts have been destroyed over time. However, biomolecules can be poorly preserved and modern reference DNA is available only for a limited number of species of parasites, leading to the conclusion that classic microscopic observation should be combined with molecular analyses. Here we present a review of the molecular approaches used over the past two decades to identify human pathogenic helminths (Ascaris sp., Trichuris sp., E. vermicularis, Fasciola sp. etc.) or protists (Giardia sp., Trypanosoma sp., Leishmania sp. etc.). We also discuss the prospects for studying the evolution of parasites with genetics and genomics.

show abstract

Human Coprolites as a Source for Paleomicrobiology

Cited by 7 publications

References 106 publications

The Technological Advance and Application of Coprolite Analysis

The Technological Advance and Application of Coprolite Analysis

Paleomicrobiology: Tracking the past microbial life from single species to entire microbial communities

Palaeoparasitology and palaeogenetics: review and perspectives for the study of ancient human parasites

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About