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. 2024 Jan;183(1):165-171.
doi: 10.1002/ajpa.24879. Epub 2023 Nov 20.

Paleoserological detection of Coronavirus antigens in dental calculus of human remains dating from the beginning of the 19th century, French Ardennes

N Merrouche  1   2 , S Edouard  1   2 , H Oumarou Hama  1   2 , D Gucker  3 , S Thiol  4 , N Orain  1 , G Aboudharam  1   2   5   6 , M Drancourt  1   2 , E Terrer  1   2   5   6
Affiliations

Paleoserological detection of Coronavirus antigens in dental calculus of human remains dating from the beginning of the 19th century, French Ardennes

N Merrouche et al. Am J Biol Anthropol. 2024 Jan.

Abstract

Objective: Vanishing viral RNA restricts our ability to detect ancient pathogens, so, we used paleo serological approaches to trace the dynamics of the Coronavirus in ancient populations.

Materials and methods: We investigated 10 ancient dental calculus samples collected from a cemetery dated to the beginning of the 19th century and excavated in Charleville-Mézières. After paleoserum samples were extracted from dental calculus, paleoserology using mini-line-blot incorporating one alpha-Coronavirus (Coronavirus 229 E) and two beta-Coronavirus (Coronavirus OC 43, SARS-CoV-2) antigens and controls was completed by an automated Western blotting assay.

Results: Once appropriate controls had validated the data, mini-line-blot detected antibodies against the two beta-Coronavirus antigens in individuals US1300 and US1339, automated Western blotting confirming one beta-Coronavirus antigen for individual US1300 and an additional individual US1326.

Discussion: Combing mini-line blot and automated Western blot assays made it possible to detect immunoreactive immunoglobulin tracing circulation of Coronavirus in France at the very beginning of the 19th century.

Keywords: automated Western-blot; beta-coronavirus; coronavirus; dental calculus; immunoglobulins; mini-line-blot; paleoserology.

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References

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