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The Role of aDNA in Understanding the Coevolutionary Patterns of Human Sexually Transmitted Infections.

Published version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

Change log

Authors

Pimenoff, Ville N 
Houldcroft, Charlotte J  ORCID logo  https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1833-5285
Rifkin, Riaan F 

Abstract

Analysis of pathogen genome data sequenced from clinical and historical samples has made it possible to perform phylogenetic analyses of sexually transmitted infections on a global scale, and to estimate the diversity, distribution, and coevolutionary host relationships of these pathogens, providing insights into pathogen emergence and disease prevention. Deep-sequenced pathogen genomes from clinical studies and ancient samples yield estimates of within-host and between-host evolutionary rates and provide data on changes in pathogen genomic stability and evolutionary responses. Here we examine three groups of pathogens transmitted mainly through sexual contact between modern humans to provide insight into ancient human behavior and history with their pathogens. Exploring ancient pathogen genomic divergence and the ancient viral-host parallel evolutionary histories will help us to reconstruct the origin of present-day geographical distribution and diversity of clinical pathogen infections, and will hopefully allow us to foresee possible environmentally induced pathogen evolutionary responses. Lastly, we emphasize that ancient pathogen DNA research should be combined with modern clinical pathogen data, and be equitable and provide advantages for all researchers worldwide, e.g., through shared data.

Description

Keywords

Hominin evolution, divergence, ectoparasites, evolutionary medicine, herpesviruses, host-switch, papillomaviruses, sexually transmitted infections, virus-host coevolution

Journal Title

Genes (Basel)

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

2073-4425
2073-4425

Volume Title

9

Publisher

MDPI AG
Sponsorship
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUH) (BRC)
NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre Anti-Microbial Resistance theme