Emerging Pathogens: The Archaeology, Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Disease

Author: Charles L. Greenblatt
Published: April 2003
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0198509014
Paperback Book
Number of Pages: 264

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"Many ancient diseases with a long history of afflicting mankind such as Tuberculosis and Malaria are now re-emerging. Greenblatt brings together palaeopathologists, anthropologists, molecular biologists and modern infectious disease specialists to examine this phenomenon. New techniques allow us to detect ancient pathogen DNA and other biomarkers, in effect the chemical 'signatures' of pathogens. These tools could help us develop strategies to combat modern emerging diseases. This book focuses on ancient diseases in order to bridge the gap that has for so long separated today's infectious disease specialists and the paleopathologists who describe pathology in skeletal and mummified remains. Linking these two research communities, and incorporating the views of anthropologists, medical ecologists and molecular/evolutionary biologists, will hopefully promote a better understanding of this complex but vitally important field. A more thorough knowledge of the impact of evolutionary biology on the host-parasite relationship may even enable us to coexist with these pathogenic micro-organisms. The book is intended to stimulate debate and co-operation between infectious disease specialists, medical researchers, archaeologists, anthropologists and evolutionary biologists." This book bridges the gap that separates infectious disease specialists from paleopathologists who describe pathology in skeletal and mummified remains. Incorporating the views of anthropologists, medical ecologists, and molecular and evolutionary biologists, the book sheds light on the evolution of arthropod disease vectors, the emergence and co-evolution of human pathogens, and the archaeology of enteric infection. The editors are professors in the Department of Parasitology at the Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Israel.

Table of Contents
Contributors
1 An overview: how infection began and became disease 3
2 Earth history, disease, and the evolution of primates 13
3 Bacterial symbionts of protozoa in aqueous environments - potential pathogens? 25
4 The microbiology of amber: a story of persistence 39
5 Evolution of arthropod disease vectors 49
6 The emergence and co-evolution of human pathogens 67
7 The state and future of paleoepidemiology 79
8 Anthropological perspectives on the study of ancient disease 93
9 Infectious processes around the dawn of civilization 103
10 Evolution and ancient diseases: the roles of genes, germs, and transmission modes 117
11 The molecular taphonomy of ancient biological molecules and biomarkers of disease 127
12 Ancient DNA can identify disease elements 143
13 Epidemiology of infectious diseases in the past: Yersin, Koch, and the skeletons 151
14 The archaeology of enteric infection: Salmonella, Shigella, Vibrio, and diarrheagenic Escherichia coli 167
15 Palaeobacteriology with special reference to pathogenic mycobacteria 175
16 Archaevirology: Characterization of the 1918 'Spanish' influenza pandemic virus 189
17 Lessons from the past 205
References 215
Index 247

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