aDNA analysis in paleopathology: mini-review and prospects.

The epidemiology of human diseases is a major indicator of living conditions. Cardiovascular diseases are said to be a phenomenon of modern industrial societies, but infectious diseases have always been an indicative determinant in historic and prehistoric human populations. The spread of infectious agents is closely related to socioeconomic factors, e.g., nutritional status, population density, and hygienic conditions. Gathering more paleoepidemiological data on infectious diseases would also be helpful in studying human adaptivity and the evolutionary capability of pathogenic microorganisms. Until now, the collection of paleoepidemiological data was restricted to those human diseases that left traces on the skeletal remains, e.g., the terminal stages of syphilis, tuberculosis, and leprosy, or degenerative disorders of the joints. With modern molecular techniques, the spectrum of detectable infectious and heritable human diseases will foreseeably be enlarged. By detecting the infectious agent, or analysing the genetic codes, it will be possible to focus systematically on those diseases that either lead to sudden death or do not affect the skeleton because of their specific course.