RÉSUMÉ
After the European colonization of the Americas, there was a dramatic population collapse of the Indigenous inhabitants caused in part by the introduction of new pathogens. Although there is much speculation on the etiology of the Colonial epidemics, direct evidence for the presence of specific viruses during the Colonial era is lacking. To uncover the diversity of viral pathogens during this period, we designed an enrichment assay targeting ancient DNA (aDNA) from viruses of clinical importance and applied it to DNA extracts from individuals found in a Colonial hospital and a Colonial chapel (16th-18th century) where records suggest that victims of epidemics were buried during important outbreaks in Mexico City. This allowed us to reconstruct three ancient human parvovirus B19 genomes and one ancient human hepatitis B virus genome from distinct individuals. The viral genomes are similar to African strains, consistent with the inferred morphological and genetic African ancestry of the hosts as well as with the isotopic analysis of the human remains, suggesting an origin on the African continent. This study provides direct molecular evidence of ancient viruses being transported to the Americas during the transatlantic slave trade and their subsequent introduction to New Spain. Altogether, our observations enrich the discussion about the etiology of infectious diseases during the Colonial period in Mexico.
The arrival of European colonists to the Americas, beginning in the 15th century, contributed to the spread of new viruses amongst Indigenous people. This led to massive outbreaks of disease, and millions of deaths that caused an important Native population to collapse. The exact viruses that caused these outbreaks are unknown, but smallpox, measles, and mumps are all suspected. During these times, traders and colonists forcibly enslaved and displaced millions of people mainly from the West Coast of Africa to the Americas. The cruel, unsanitary, and overcrowded conditions on ships transporting these people across the Atlantic contributed to the spread of infectious diseases onboard. Once on land, infectious diseases spread quickly, partly due to the poor conditions that enslaved and ndigenous people were made to endure. Native people were also immunologically naïve to the newly introduced pathogens, making them susceptible to severe or fatal outcomes. The new field of paleovirology may help scientists identify the viruses that were circulating in the first years of colonization and trace how viruses arrived in the Americas. Using next-generation DNA sequencing and other cutting-edge techniques, Guzmán-Solís et al. extracted and enriched viral DNA from skeletal remains dating back to the 16th century. These remains were found in mass graves that were used to bury epidemic victims at a colonial hospital and chapel in what is now Mexico City. The experiments identified two viruses, human parvovirus B19 and a human hepatitis B virus. These viral genomes were recovered from human remains of first-generation African people in Mexico, as well as an individual who was an Indigenous person. Although the genetic material of these ancient viruses resembled pathogens that originated in Africa, the study did not determine if the victims died from these viruses or another cause. On the other hand, the results indicate that viruses frequently found in modern Africa were circulating in the Americas during the slave trade period of Mexico. Finally, the results provide evidence that colonists who forcibly brought African people to the Americas participated in the introduction of viruses to Mexico. This constant influx of viruses from the old world, led to dramatic declines in the populations of Indigenous people in the Americas.