Whole genome sequence of bacteremic Clostridium tertium in a World War I soldier, 1914.
Clostridium tertium
Culturomics
Dental pulp
Paleomicrobiology
Soldier
WWI
Journal
Current research in microbial sciences
ISSN: 2666-5174
Titre abrégé: Curr Res Microb Sci
Pays: Netherlands
ID NLM: 101773003
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
2022
2022
Historique:
received:
05
08
2021
revised:
01
12
2021
accepted:
02
12
2021
entrez:
5
1
2022
pubmed:
6
1
2022
medline:
6
1
2022
Statut:
epublish
Résumé
Dental pulp, encapsulating a blood drop, could be used to diagnose pathogen bacteraemia in archaeological materials using DNA-based techniques. We questioned the viability of such ancient pathogens preserved in ancient dental pulp. After meticulous decontamination of 32 teeth collected from 31 World War I soldiers exhumed in Spincourt, France, dental pulps were extracted and cultured under strict anaerobiosis. Colonies were identified by mass spectrometry and whole genome sequencing. Fluorescent in situ hybridisation (FISH) was used for the direct microscopic detection of pathogens of interest in the dental pulp. All the experimental procedures included negative controls, notably sediments in contact with individual SQ517 to ensure that results did not arise from contamination. Clostridium tertium was detected by FISH in two dental pulp specimens taken from a 1914 soldier. After a two-day incubation period, both dental pulp samples grew colonies identified by mass spectrometry and genome sequencing as C. tertium; whereas negative controls remained free of C. tertium in all the observations, and no C. tertium was founded in sediments. Skeletal remains of this soldier exhibited two notches in the left tibia evocative of a cold steel wound, and a probably fatal unhealed bullet impact in the hip bone. Data indicated the presence of C. tertium in the dental pulp at the time of the death of one World War I soldier, in 1914. This observation diagnosed C. tertium bacteraemia, with war wounds as the probable portal of entry for C. tertium. Our C. tertium strains ante-dated by three years, the princeps description of this deadly opportunistic pathogen.
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND
BACKGROUND
Dental pulp, encapsulating a blood drop, could be used to diagnose pathogen bacteraemia in archaeological materials using DNA-based techniques. We questioned the viability of such ancient pathogens preserved in ancient dental pulp.
METHODS
METHODS
After meticulous decontamination of 32 teeth collected from 31 World War I soldiers exhumed in Spincourt, France, dental pulps were extracted and cultured under strict anaerobiosis. Colonies were identified by mass spectrometry and whole genome sequencing. Fluorescent in situ hybridisation (FISH) was used for the direct microscopic detection of pathogens of interest in the dental pulp. All the experimental procedures included negative controls, notably sediments in contact with individual SQ517 to ensure that results did not arise from contamination.
FINDINGS
RESULTS
Clostridium tertium was detected by FISH in two dental pulp specimens taken from a 1914 soldier. After a two-day incubation period, both dental pulp samples grew colonies identified by mass spectrometry and genome sequencing as C. tertium; whereas negative controls remained free of C. tertium in all the observations, and no C. tertium was founded in sediments. Skeletal remains of this soldier exhibited two notches in the left tibia evocative of a cold steel wound, and a probably fatal unhealed bullet impact in the hip bone.
INTERPRETATION
CONCLUSIONS
Data indicated the presence of C. tertium in the dental pulp at the time of the death of one World War I soldier, in 1914. This observation diagnosed C. tertium bacteraemia, with war wounds as the probable portal of entry for C. tertium. Our C. tertium strains ante-dated by three years, the princeps description of this deadly opportunistic pathogen.
Identifiants
pubmed: 34984406
doi: 10.1016/j.crmicr.2021.100089
pii: S2666-5174(21)00069-9
pmc: PMC8693014
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Pagination
100089Informations de copyright
© 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts
All authors declare no competing interests.
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