Paleomicrobiology
Vendredi 13 septembre 2013 14:00
- Duree : 1 heure
Lieu : Institut Jean Roget, Salle de Conférence du 5ème Etage, Faculté de Médecine-Pharmacie, Domaine de la Merci, La Tronche. Pour y accéder : Prenez l’ascenseur sud.
Orateur : Michel DRANCOURT (Aix Marseille Université, URMITE UMR63 CNRS 7278, IRD 198, INSERM 1095)
Paleomicrobiology is a field of microbiology devoted to the study of microorganisms including pathogens, retrieved from ancient human and environmental specimens. This field of research emerged twenty years ago after the seminal demonstration that human DNA could survive for extending periods of time. Accordingly, initial wor ks used DNA amplification by PCR and sequencing to find out specific trace of microorganisms in various tissues. While bone has been a major source for paleomicrobiology, we invented the dental pulp as the best source to look for blood-borne pathogens. Our initial works aimed to trace the agent of plague Yesinia pestis in human skeletons from various burial sites in France. These pioneering works have now been reproduced by ten different teams in Europe, culminating with sequencing the entire genome of the Yesinia pestis strain responsible for the Black Death in London. Also, dental pulp proved to be an excellent source of DNA to trace Bartonella pathogens, as well as Rickettsia pathogens. As for DNA, metagenomic is now extending the scope of microrganisms which can be found in various specimens including the dental pulp, bones and the coprolites. In parallel, non-DNA-based techniques have been used to retrieve antigenic proteins specific from some pathogens such as Yesinia pestis, these techniques are under development. Paleomicrobiology is contributive to the study of evolution of microorganisms, the co-evolution of microorganism with vectors and reservoirs, and to the study of past populations in the perspective of history (past epidemic determined most of important historic events within two millennia) and anthropology. Paleomycrobiology resolves questions which are otherwise an open field for opinions.
Contact : cordelia.bisanz@ujf-grenoble.fr
Discipline évènement : (Biologie / Chimie)
Entité organisatrice : (LAPM)
Nature évènement : (Séminaire)
Evènement répétitif : (Séminaire IJR)
Site de l'évènement : Pôle Santé / La Tronche
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