Tuberculosis origin: The Neolithic scenario

Abstract

This paper follows the dramatic changes in scientific research during the last 20 years regarding the relationship between the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex and its hosts - bovids and/or humans. Once the M. tuberculosis and Mycobacterium bovis genomes were sequenced, it became obvious that the old story of M. bovis evolving into the human pathogen should be reversed, as M. tuberculosis is more ancestral than M. bovis. Nevertheless, the timescale and geographical origin remained an enigma. In the current study human and cattle bone samples were examined for evidence of tuberculosis from the site of Atlit-Yam in the Eastern Mediterranean, dating from 9250 to 8160 (calibrated) years ago. Strict precautions were used to prevent contamination in the DNA analysis, and independent centers used to confirm authenticity of findings. DNA from five M. tuberculosis genetic loci was detected and had characteristics consistent with extant genetic lineages. High performance liquid chromatography was used as an independent method of verification and it directly detected mycolic acid lipid biomarkers, specific for the M. tuberculosis complex. These, together with pathological changes detected in some of the bones, confirm the presence of the disease in the Levantine populations during the Pre-pottery Neolithic C period, more than 8000 years ago.

Southern East Asian origin and coexpansion of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Beijing family with Han Chinese

“…Recently, a Holocene model for the origin and initial dispersal of MTBC was proposed that supports a much younger age for the MTBC (less than 6,000 y) (4). Indeed, tuberculosis has been recently detected from human remains older than 8 kya by both paleopathological and molecular evidence (61), indicating that MTBC may be older than the Holocene model suggests. By rerunning our data with the Holocene model, we estimated the age of lineage 2 as 2.0 kya (1.3-3.0, 95% HPD) (SI Appendix, Table S2).…”

A 6500-year-old Middle Neolithic child from Pollera Cave (Liguria, Italy) with probable multifocal osteoarticular tuberculosis

“…However, molecular analysis showed positive DNA and mycolic acid analyses for TB (Hershkovitz et al, 2008(Hershkovitz et al, , 2015, but the data have been debated (see also Wilbur et al, 2009 andDonoghue et al, 2009 for discussion). PO21 does not show SES on the endocranial surface of the skull or HOA on the long bones (fragments of the left tibia of PO21, which are not visible in Figure 2, have been examined).…”

“…see an overview in Roberts and Buikstra 2003: Chapters 3 and 4). In fact, the disease becomes more common -and therefore more likely to be bioarchaeologically detectable -in the Neolithic, as population density increased and people started to live in permanent urban settlements supported by a farming economy (Hershkovitz et al, 2015).…”

“…The most convincing skeletal evidence is described in a 4-5-year-old individual with Pott's disease from Predynastic Upper Egypt (3,200 BC; Dabernat and Crubézy, 2010). The lesions described in a 12-month-old individual from Israel (9,000 BP, Hershkovitz et al, 2008Hershkovitz et al, , 2015 have also been attributed to TB based on the molecular detection of the pathogen. However, care should be exercised when linking TB positive aDNA evidence to a non-pathognomonic bone change (Wilbur et al, 2009; but see Donoghue et al, 2009).…”

Posibles casos de tuberculosis y brucelosis en poblados argáricos de Galera (Granada)

“…Incluso se ha planteado que la transmisión pudo ser de humanos a animales domesticados hace al menos 13.000 años con el desarrollo de la agricultura en el Creciente Fértil (Wirth et al 2008). Sea como fuere, existe una realidad osteológica limitada y los casos más antiguos indiscutibles de tuberculosis en humanos proceden del Neolítico pre-cerámico en el Próximo Oriente (Hershkovitz et al 2015) y del Neolítico europeo (Formicola et al 1987;Gladykowska-Rzecycka 1999;Spekker et al 2012;Masson et al 2015).…”