Cell Reports (Jun 2021)
A 5,000-year-old hunter-gatherer already plagued by Yersinia pestis
- Julian Susat,
- Harald Lübke,
- Alexander Immel,
- Ute Brinker,
- Aija Macāne,
- John Meadows,
- Britta Steer,
- Andreas Tholey,
- Ilga Zagorska,
- Guntis Gerhards,
- Ulrich Schmölcke,
- Mārcis Kalniņš,
- Andre Franke,
- Elīna Pētersone-Gordina,
- Barbara Teßman,
- Mari Tõrv,
- Stefan Schreiber,
- Christian Andree,
- Valdis Bērziņš,
- Almut Nebel,
- Ben Krause-Kyora
Affiliations
- Julian Susat
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, Rosalind-Franklin-Str. 12, 24105 Kiel, Germany
- Harald Lübke
- Centre for Baltic and Scandinavian Archaeology (ZBSA), Schleswig-Holstein State Museums Foundation Schloss Gottorf, Schlossinsel 1, 24837 Schleswig, Germany
- Alexander Immel
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, Rosalind-Franklin-Str. 12, 24105 Kiel, Germany
- Ute Brinker
- Centre for Baltic and Scandinavian Archaeology (ZBSA), Schleswig-Holstein State Museums Foundation Schloss Gottorf, Schlossinsel 1, 24837 Schleswig, Germany
- Aija Macāne
- Department of Historical Studies, University of Gothenburg, PO Box 200, SE405 30 Göteborg, Sweden
- John Meadows
- Centre for Baltic and Scandinavian Archaeology (ZBSA), Schleswig-Holstein State Museums Foundation Schloss Gottorf, Schlossinsel 1, 24837 Schleswig, Germany; Leibniz Laboratory for AMS Dating and Isotope Research, Kiel University, Max-Eyth-Str. 11-13, 24118 Kiel, Germany
- Britta Steer
- Systematic Proteomics & Bioanalytics, Institute for Experimental Medicine, Kiel University, Niemannsweg 11, 24105 Kiel, Germany
- Andreas Tholey
- Systematic Proteomics & Bioanalytics, Institute for Experimental Medicine, Kiel University, Niemannsweg 11, 24105 Kiel, Germany
- Ilga Zagorska
- Institute of Latvian History, University of Latvia, Kalpaka bulv. 4, 1050 Riga, Latvia
- Guntis Gerhards
- Institute of Latvian History, University of Latvia, Kalpaka bulv. 4, 1050 Riga, Latvia
- Ulrich Schmölcke
- Centre for Baltic and Scandinavian Archaeology (ZBSA), Schleswig-Holstein State Museums Foundation Schloss Gottorf, Schlossinsel 1, 24837 Schleswig, Germany
- Mārcis Kalniņš
- Institute of Latvian History, University of Latvia, Kalpaka bulv. 4, 1050 Riga, Latvia
- Andre Franke
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, Rosalind-Franklin-Str. 12, 24105 Kiel, Germany
- Elīna Pētersone-Gordina
- Institute of Latvian History, University of Latvia, Kalpaka bulv. 4, 1050 Riga, Latvia
- Barbara Teßman
- Berlin Society of Anthropology, Ethnology and Prehistory, c/o Museum of Pre- and Protohistory, Geschwister-Scholl-Str. 6, 10117 Berlin, Germany
- Mari Tõrv
- Department of Archaeology, Institute of History and Archaeology, University of Tartu, Jakobi 2, 51005 Tartu, Estonia
- Stefan Schreiber
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, Rosalind-Franklin-Str. 12, 24105 Kiel, Germany; Department of General Internal Medicine, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel University, Rosalind-Franklin-Str. 12, 24105 Kiel, Germany
- Christian Andree
- Research Center of Medical History, Kiel University, Breiter Weg 10, 24105 Kiel, Germany
- Valdis Bērziņš
- Institute of Latvian History, University of Latvia, Kalpaka bulv. 4, 1050 Riga, Latvia
- Almut Nebel
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, Rosalind-Franklin-Str. 12, 24105 Kiel, Germany
- Ben Krause-Kyora
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, Rosalind-Franklin-Str. 12, 24105 Kiel, Germany; Corresponding author
- Journal volume & issue
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Vol. 35,
no. 13
p. 109278
Abstract
Summary: A 5,000-year-old Yersinia pestis genome (RV 2039) is reconstructed from a hunter-fisher-gatherer (5300–5050 cal BP) buried at Riņņukalns, Latvia. RV 2039 is the first in a series of ancient strains that evolved shortly after the split of Y. pestis from its antecessor Y. pseudotuberculosis ∼7,000 years ago. The genomic and phylogenetic characteristics of RV 2039 are consistent with the hypothesis that this very early Y. pestis form was most likely less transmissible and maybe even less virulent than later strains. Our data do not support the scenario of a prehistoric pneumonic plague pandemic, as suggested previously for the Neolithic decline. The geographical and temporal distribution of the few prehistoric Y. pestis cases reported so far is more in agreement with single zoonotic events.
