TY - JOUR

T1 - Population genomics of ancient and modern Trichuris trichiura

AU - Doyle, Stephen R.

AU - Søe, Martin Jensen

AU - Nejsum, Peter

AU - Betson, Martha

AU - Cooper, Philip J.

AU - Peng, Lifei

AU - Zhu, Xing Quan

AU - Sanchez, Ana

AU - Matamoros, Gabriela

AU - Sandoval, Gustavo Adolfo Fontecha

AU - Cutillas, Cristina

AU - Tchuenté, Louis Albert Tchuem

AU - Mekonnen, Zeleke

AU - Ame, Shaali M.

AU - Namwanje, Harriet

AU - Levecke, Bruno

AU - Berriman, Matthew

AU - Fredensborg, Brian Lund

AU - Kapel, Christian Moliin Outzen

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2022. The Author(s).

PY - 2022

Y1 - 2022

N2 - The neglected tropical disease trichuriasis is caused by the whipworm Trichuris trichiura, a soil-transmitted helminth that has infected humans for millennia. Today, T. trichiura infects as many as 500 million people, predominantly in communities with poor sanitary infrastructure enabling sustained faecal-oral transmission. Using whole-genome sequencing of geographically distributed worms collected from human and other primate hosts, together with ancient samples preserved in archaeologically-defined latrines and deposits dated up to one thousand years old, we present the first population genomics study of T. trichiura. We describe the continent-scale genetic structure between whipworms infecting humans and baboons relative to those infecting other primates. Admixture and population demographic analyses support a stepwise distribution of genetic variation that is highest in Uganda, consistent with an African origin and subsequent translocation with human migration. Finally, genome-wide analyses between human samples and between human and non-human primate samples reveal local regions of genetic differentiation between geographically distinct populations. These data provide insight into zoonotic reservoirs of human-infective T. trichiura and will support future efforts toward the implementation of genomic epidemiology of this globally important helminth.

AB - The neglected tropical disease trichuriasis is caused by the whipworm Trichuris trichiura, a soil-transmitted helminth that has infected humans for millennia. Today, T. trichiura infects as many as 500 million people, predominantly in communities with poor sanitary infrastructure enabling sustained faecal-oral transmission. Using whole-genome sequencing of geographically distributed worms collected from human and other primate hosts, together with ancient samples preserved in archaeologically-defined latrines and deposits dated up to one thousand years old, we present the first population genomics study of T. trichiura. We describe the continent-scale genetic structure between whipworms infecting humans and baboons relative to those infecting other primates. Admixture and population demographic analyses support a stepwise distribution of genetic variation that is highest in Uganda, consistent with an African origin and subsequent translocation with human migration. Finally, genome-wide analyses between human samples and between human and non-human primate samples reveal local regions of genetic differentiation between geographically distinct populations. These data provide insight into zoonotic reservoirs of human-infective T. trichiura and will support future efforts toward the implementation of genomic epidemiology of this globally important helminth.

U2 - 10.1038/s41467-022-31487-x

DO - 10.1038/s41467-022-31487-x

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 35794092

AN - SCOPUS:85133630658

VL - 13

JO - Nature Communications

JF - Nature Communications

SN - 2041-1723

IS - 1

M1 - 3888

ER -