Genotyping of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium leprae ancient DNA

The overall aim of this study was to employ a biomolecular technique - ancient DNA (aDNA) - to study two ancient diseases that were endemic in Europe (and therefore Britain) during the medieval period: tuberculosis and leprosy. In humans, the diseases are caused by M. tuberculosis and M. leprae, respectively - both of which are members of the M. tuberculosis complex (MTBC). Skeletal manifestations of both diseases may develop in bone remains, which can be recognized using osteological analysis. In some cases, however, the skeletal changes are ambiguous. Ancient DNA methods are used for case confirmation and to answer historical questions such as the spread, origin and evolution of disease. The first objective of this thesis was to determine whether the MTBC aDNA detection frequency is high enough to plan a larger study to test hypotheses such as possible strain differences in urban and rural areas, as it has been suggested that urbanization assists the spread of tuberculosis, enhancing its virulence. To meet this objective, 60 skeletal remains from 16 different locations in Yorkshire, England were studied. All samples were screened for MTBC aDNA presence and 8 samples were selected for next-generation sequencing ... (continues)