2025-08-11 マックス・プランク研究所
Rarer than hen’s teeth: Researchers were able to isolate the genetic material of a prehistoric plague pathogen from this 4,000-year-old sheep tooth. This is the first time such a pathogen has been detected outside human remains.
© Taylor Hermes
<関連情報>
- https://www.mpg.de/25157082/0806-infe-livestock-played-a-role-in-prehistoric-plague-infections-152585-x
- https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(25)00851-7
青銅器時代の羊から発見されたYersinia pestisのゲノムは、先史時代のペスト系統の宿主と進化を解明する Bronze Age Yersinia pestis genome from sheep sheds light on hosts and evolution of a prehistoric plague lineage
Ian Light-Maka ∙ Taylor R. Hermes ∙ Raffaela Angelina Bianco ∙ … ∙ Choongwon Jeong ∙ Christina Warinner ∙ Felix M. Key
Cell Published:August 11, 2025
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2025.07.029
Highlights
- LNBA Y. pestis genome from a nearly 4,000-year-old domesticated sheep
- Sheep and human infections stem from a single LNBA lineage
- Parallel ancestral gene loss observed during Y. pestis evolution
- Natural selection differentiates the LNBA lineage and extant Y. pestis
Summary
Most human pathogens are of zoonotic origin. Many emerged during prehistory, coinciding with domestication providing more opportunities for spillover into human populations. However, we lack direct DNA evidence linking animal and human infections during prehistory. Here, we present a Yersinia pestis genome recovered from a 3rd-millennium BCE domesticated sheep from the Eurasian Steppe belonging to the Late Neolithic Bronze Age (LNBA) lineage, until now exclusively identified in ancient humans across Eurasia. We show that this ancient lineage underwent ancestral gene decay paralleling extant lineages, but evolved under distinct selective pressures, contributing to its lack of geographic differentiation. We collect evidence supporting a scenario where the LNBA lineage, unable to efficiently transmit via fleas, spread from an unidentified reservoir to sheep and likely other domesticates, elevating human infection risk. Collectively, our results connect prehistoric livestock with infectious disease in humans and showcase the power of moving paleomicrobiology into the zooarchaeological record.
