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

Abstract

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. 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. 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. 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.