Abstract
Chagas Disease in Ancient Hunter-Gatherer Population, Brazil
Highlights
To the Editor: Chagas disease, caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, and first described by Carlos Chagas in 1909, is endemic to Latin America
We describe the finding of T. cruzi in human remains dating back 4,500–7,000 years that were obtained from a Brazilian archeological site and, the recovery of an ancient DNA sequence corresponding to the parasite lineage type I
The mummy, called AM1, was a woman ≈35 years of age from a hunter-gatherer population. She was found in Abrigo do Malhador archeological site, Peruaçu Valley, Minas Gerais State [5]
Summary
To the Editor: Chagas disease, caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, and first described by Carlos Chagas in 1909, is endemic to Latin America. We describe the finding of T. cruzi in human remains dating back 4,500–7,000 years that were obtained from a Brazilian archeological site and, the recovery of an ancient DNA (aDNA) sequence corresponding to the parasite lineage type I. The mummy, called AM1, was a woman ≈35 years of age from a hunter-gatherer population. In 2005, after taking precautions to avoid contamination with exogenous DNA or cross-contamination between samples, we collected ≈6 cm of a rib fragment from AM1.
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