Fiddaman, Steven, Dimopoulos, Evangelos, Lebrasseur, Ophélie et al. (34 more authors) (2023) Ancient chicken remains reveal the origins of virulence in Marek’s 2 disease virus. Science. pp. 1276-1281. ISSN 0036-8075
Abstract
The dramatic growth in livestock populations since the 1950s has altered the epidemiological and evolutionary trajectory of their associated pathogens. For example, Marek’s disease virus (MDV), which causes lymphoid tumors in chickens, has experienced a marked increase in virulence over the last century. Today, MDV infections kill >90% of unvaccinated birds and controlling it costs >US$1bn annually. By sequencing MDV genomes derived from archeological chickens, we demonstrate that it has been circulating for at least 1000 years. We functionally tested the Meq oncogene, one of 49 viral genes positively selected in modern strains, demonstrating that ancient MDV was likely incapable of driving tumor formation. Our results demonstrate the power of ancient DNA approaches to trace the molecular basis of virulence in economically relevant pathogens.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
---|---|
Authors/Creators: |
|
Dates: |
|
Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Arts and Humanities (York) > Archaeology (York) |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 18 Dec 2023 10:10 |
Last Modified: | 02 Mar 2025 00:07 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adg2238 |
Status: | Published |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1126/science.adg2238 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:206703 |