The ancient Korean mummy of a child provides clues to the hepatitis B virus genome. CREDIT: Seoul National Univesity
Posted on 06/02/2012 7:34:31 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
A mummified child in Korea whose organs were relatively well preserved has produced the oldest full viral genome description. A liver biopsy of the mummy revealed a unique hepatitis B virus (HBV) known as a genotype C2 sequence, which is said to be common in Southeast Asia.
The first discovery of hepatitis in a Korean mummy came in 2007. The new work provided more detailed analysis...
Carbon 14 tests of the clothing of the mummy suggests that the boy lived around the 16th century during the Korean Joseon Dynasty. The viral DNA sequences recovered from the liver biopsy enabled the scientists to map the entire ancient hepatitis B viral genome.
Using modern-day molecular genetic techniques, the researchers compared the ancient DNA sequences with contemporary viral genomes disclosing distinct differences. The changes in the genetic code are believed to result from spontaneous mutations and possibly environmental pressures during the virus evolutionary process. Based on the observed mutations rates over time, the analysis suggests that the reconstructed mummy's hepatitis B virus DNA had its origin between 3,000 to 100,000 years ago.
Additional analysis of the ancient HBV genomes may be used as a model to study the evolution of chronic hepatitis B and help understand the spread of the virus, possibly from Africa to East-Asia. It also may shed further light on the migratory pathway of hepatitis B in the Far East from China and Japan to Korea as well as to other regions in Asia and Australia where it is a major cause of cirrhosis and liver cancer.
The study was done by researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Seoul National University and other institutions.
(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...
The ancient Korean mummy of a child provides clues to the hepatitis B virus genome. CREDIT: Seoul National Univesity
Perhaps of interest.
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Korean Mummy Holds Clues to Disease
!oohaY | Wednesday, Jul 25, 2007 | Jeanna Bryner
Posted on 07/26/2007 8:33:57 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1871944/posts
That, and I loved the food and the people.
/johnny
Hep B? I C! No wait... thats MEEEE!!!
The 16th century is now considered “ancient”?
It is relativistic.
A century ago you could get a whore for two bits.
Now it is bag a bag for a dime bag.
Now for some economic theory...
Why did you include a photo of Nancy Pelosi?
;’)
That choice of adjective seems to happen a lot with archaeology/history articles from the Far East.
WWII has been over for nearly 67 years, but the daunting number for me is, the final US pullout from Vietnam was 37 years ago, seven years more than the interval from the end of WWII to the end of Vietnam.
I attended an archaeology lecture in Alaska some years back.
The lecturer had unearthed the remains of an Eskimo teen that carbon-dated at 14,000 years. His skeleton showed signs of damage from a tuberculosis infection.
Many diseases have been “friends” of humans a lot longer than we realize.
Thanks, I’ll have to look into that one.
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