Recent advances in sequencing have facilitated large-scale analyses of the metagenomic composition of different samples, including the environmental microbiome of air, water, and soil, as well as the microbiome of living humans and other animals. Analyses of the microbiome of ancient human samples may provide insights into human health and disease, as well as pathogen evolution, but the field is still in its very early stages and considered highly challenging. The metagenomic and pathogen content of Egyptian mummified individuals from different time periods was investigated via genetic analysis of the microbial composition of various tissues. The analysis of the dental calculus’ microbiome identified Red Complex bacteria, which are correlated with periodontal diseases. From bone and soft tissue, genomes of two ancient pathogens, a 2200-year-old Mycobacterium leprae strain and a 2000-year-old human hepatitis B virus, were successfully reconstructed. The results show the reliability of metagenomic studies on Egyptian mummified individuals and the potential to use them as a source for the extraction of ancient pathogen DNA.

中文翻译：

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通过对埃及木乃伊个体进行宏基因组分析，重建了具有2000年历史的病原体基因组。

测序的最新进展促进了对不同样品宏基因组学组成的大规模分析，包括空气，水和土壤的环境微生物组，以及人类和其他动物的微生物组。对古代人类样品微生物组的分析可能会提供有关人类健康和疾病以及病原体进化的见解，但该领域仍处于早期阶段，被认为具有很高的挑战性。通过对各种组织的微生物组成进行遗传分析，研究了不同时期埃及木乃伊个体的宏基因组学和病原体含量。对牙结石微生物组的分析确定了与牙周疾病相关的红色复合菌。来自骨骼和软组织的两种古老病原体的基因组，成功重建了2200年前的麻风分枝杆菌菌株和2000年前的人乙型肝炎病毒。结果表明，对埃及木乃伊个体进行宏基因组学研究的可靠性以及将其用作提取古代病原体DNA的来源的潜力。