02447nas a2200649   4500000000100000008004100001260001600042653001900058653001200077653001900089653002100108653002500129653002200154653002200176653001100198653001200209653002500221653001800246653001400264653001100278653001000289653001900299100001800318700001200336700001300348700001900361700001300380700001000393700001300403700001500416700001300431700001200444700001200456700001400468700001800482700000900500700001500509700001400524700001200538700001000550700000900560700001500569700001200584700001300596700001300609700001000622700001100632700001400643700001300657245007200670856005500742300001100797490000800808050002100816520094600837022001401783       2013                            d  c2013 Jul 1210aBone and Bones10aDenmark10aDNA, Bacterial10aEndemic Diseases10aEvolution, Molecular10aGenome, Bacterial10aHistory, Medieval10aHumans10aleprosy10aMycobacterium leprae10aMycolic Acids10aPhylogeny10aSweden10aTooth10aUnited Kingdom1 aSchuenemann V1 aSingh P1 aMendum T1 aKrause-Kyora B1 aJäger G1 aBos K1 aHerbig A1 aEconomou C1 aBenjak A1 aBusso P1 aNebel A1 aBoldsen J1 aKjellström A1 aWu H1 aStewart GR1 aTaylor MG1 aBauer P1 aLee O1 aWu H1 aMinnikin D1 aBesra G1 aTucker K1 aRoffey S1 aSow S1 aCole S1 aNieselt K1 aKrause J00aGenome-wide comparison of medieval and modern Mycobacterium leprae.  uhttp://science.sciencemag.org/content/341/6142/179  a179-830 v341  aSCHUENEMANN 20133 a<p>Leprosy was endemic in Europe until the Middle Ages. Using DNA array capture, we have obtained genome sequences of Mycobacterium leprae from skeletons of five medieval leprosy cases from the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Denmark. In one case, the DNA was so well preserved that full de novo assembly of the ancient bacterial genome could be achieved through shotgun sequencing alone. The ancient M. leprae sequences were compared with those of 11 modern strains, representing diverse genotypes and geographic origins. The comparisons revealed remarkable genomic conservation during the past 1000 years, a European origin for leprosy in the Americas, and the presence of an M. leprae genotype in medieval Europe now commonly associated with the Middle East. The exceptional preservation of M. leprae biomarkers, both DNA and mycolic acids, in ancient skeletons has major implications for palaeomicrobiology and human pathogen evolution. </p>  a1095-9203