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SUMMARY:Infectious disease challenges over time\, the rise of zoonoses\, a
 nd the impact on health today - Professor Astrid Iversen (University of Ox
 ford)
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20251124T130000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20251124T140000Z
UID:https://talks.ox.ac.uk/talks/id/4cbe3e15-83cf-4751-9b5d-5de5afffa522/
DESCRIPTION:Infectious diseases have had devastating effects on human popu
 lations throughout history. We created an archaeogenetic-based spatiotempo
 ral map of human pathogens by screening shotgun sequencing data from 1\,31
 3 ancient humans\, spanning 37\,000 years of Eurasian history. We found a 
 widespread presence of ancient bacterial\, viral and parasite DNA\, identi
 fying 5\,486 individual hits against 492 species from 136 genera. Among th
 ose hits\, 3\,384 involved known human pathogens\, many of which had not p
 reviously been identified in ancient human remains. Moreover\, we extended
  the findings of some pathogens back in time\, e.g.\, hepatitis B virus (H
 BV) and Yersinia pestis (the cause of plague). We also observed changing e
 pidemiological patterns for the spread of Yersinia pestis and Borrelia rec
 urrentis (the cause of louse-borne relapsing fever) over time\, which coin
 cided with changes in the genomes of these pathogens. Grouping the ancient
  microbial species according to their likely reservoir and type of transmi
 ssion\, we found that while most groups were identified throughout the ent
 ire sampling period\, zoonotic pathogens were only detected from around 6\
 ,500 years ago\, peaking roughly 5\,000 years ago\, coinciding with th
 e widespread domestication of livestock and the migration of pastoralist s
 teppe people from the Pontic Steppe into Europe. Their migration caused a 
 genetic upheaval in Europe and left a lasting genetic legacy\, especially 
 in the Northern and North-western parts of Europe\, which was as great\, o
 r greater\, than that of the Anatolian farmers and which shapes susceptibi
 lity to many current diseases\, such as multiple sclerosis. Our studies on
  pathogens and multiple sclerosis offer insights into the co-evolution of 
 human lifestyle and diseases\, highlighting how cultural changes have infl
 uenced the infectious disease landscape over time and the impact infectiou
 s disease-associated selective pressures have had on our immune system set
 up and health today. \n\nAstrid Iversen is a professor of virology and imm
 unology at the University of Oxford. Her primary research interest is unde
 rstanding the co-evolution of pathogens and the human immune response and 
 how a better understanding of these interactions might lead to better trea
 tment of infectious diseases and improved vaccine design. Moreover\, she i
 s involved in ancient DNA studies examining how the pathogenic challenges 
 have changed during the last ~12\,500 years\, the impact this has had on o
 ur immune system setup\, and the implications for current immune responses
  to old and new pathogens and autoimmune disease prevalence.\nSpeakers:\nP
 rofessor Astrid Iversen (University of Oxford)
LOCATION:Big Data Institute (Seminar rooms)\, Old Road Campus OX3 7LF
TZID:Europe/London
URL:https://talks.ox.ac.uk/talks/id/4cbe3e15-83cf-4751-9b5d-5de5afffa522/
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DESCRIPTION:Talk:Infectious disease challenges over time\, the rise of zoo
 noses\, and the impact on health today - Professor Astrid Iversen (Univers
 ity of Oxford)
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