An Ancient Epstein-Barr Virus Genome Recovered From a Museum Penis Sheath From Papua
Ancient DNA provides a unique opportunity to study the history and spread of infectious diseases. Here, we analyzed 21 samples from a collection of 20th century penis sheaths recorded as coming from Papua New Guinea, Papua (Indonesia) and Vanuatu, and housed at the Musée du quai Branly-Jacques Chirac in Paris. Despite the presence of environmental species, we identified human-associated bacteria and, notably, an Epstein-Barr virus genome at high coverage. Phylogenetic analysis placed this strain within a Papua New Guinea-Indonesian cluster. These findings highlight museum collections as valuable reservoirs of genetic data, offering historical insights into the evolution and spread of human pathogens.
Authors
- Philippe Charlier (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0357-511X)
- Nicolás Rascovan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2129-5878)
- Amélie Chimènes (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4645-5604)
- Anaïs Augias (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5330-1814)
- Ponce-Soto Gabriel Yaxal
Institutions
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- Institut de France (FR)
- Institut Pasteur (FR)
- Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (FR)
- Université Paris Cité (FR)
- Institute of Archaeology (HR)
- Éco-Anthropologie (FR)
- Institute of Archaeology (CN)
- Laboratoire Anthropologie, Archéologie, Biologie (FR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- The Journal of Infectious Diseases
- Published
- 2025-04-09
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiaf189
- Primary Topic
- Toxoplasma gondii Research Studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Infrastructures en Biologie Santé et Agronomie
- Agence Nationale de la Recherche
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
- Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle