01353nas a2200217   4500000000100000008004100001653001600042653001300058653001100071653001300082653001300095653001100108653001200119100001300131700001200144700001200156700001500168245005700183520088100240022001401121       2016                            d10aAncient DNA10aEpidemic10aGenome10aGenomics10aPathogen10aPlague10aleprosy1 aAndam CP1 aWorby C1 aChang Q1 aCampana MG00aMicrobial genomics of ancient plagues and outbreaks.3 a<p>The recent use of next-generation sequencing methods to investigate historical disease outbreaks has provided us with an unprecedented ability to address important and long-standing questions in epidemiology, pathogen evolution, and human history. In this review, we present major findings that illustrate how microbial genomics has provided new insights into the nature and etiology of infectious diseases of historical importance, such as plague, tuberculosis, and leprosy. Sequenced isolates collected from archaeological remains also provide evidence for the timing of historical evolutionary events as well as geographic spread of these pathogens. Elucidating the genomic basis of virulence in historical diseases can provide relevant information on how we can effectively understand the emergence and re-emergence of infectious diseases today and in the future.</p>
  a1878-4380