Ancient Zoo: Parasite diversity and zoonotic events in ancient Britain

Background

Emerging infectious diseases (diseases that have newly appeared in a population¹; EIDs) are one of the greatest threats to human health and global stability ^2–4. However, for almost all EIDs, nothing is known of their prevalence in the past. This historic information is essential for assessing trajectories of population abundance, and in turn determine whether a disease is genuinely newly emerging, and any long-term changes in prevalence⁵. An understanding of the presence/absence of parasites in the past would enable contextualisation of present-day parasite diversity, providing a springboard for future studies to confirm or update EID priorities and classifications.

Aims

 1. Improve our methods for detecting infection, and our understanding of wildlife pathology, by investigating the correlation between morphological and molecular measures of infection in faunal remains.

2. Identify first occurrence and changes in parasite diversity across British wildlife through historic and prehistoric times, and investigate correlations with landscape management, animal husbandry, proximity to settlement, and wildlife biodiversity and abundance.

 3. Reconstruct the ancestry and evolutionary history of our present-day wildlife diseases, and the extent to which they have undergone molecular evolution and adaptation over time, with respect to changes in climate, and land use.

This project will be a collaboration between Cardiff Schools of BIOSI and SHARE, Aberystwyth University, and the Natural History Museum, London.

Methods

Wildlife archives (bone pathology and macroparasites) at Aberystwyth University (School of Veterinary Science) will be used as references to identify pathological specimens in zooarchaeological and museum assemblages. Bioinformatic methods (e.g. 6) will be used to molecularly identify the presence of parasites in publicly available whole genome sequencing data, and newly generated shotgun sequencing data, and from the reference and ancient faunal remains. Overlap will be assessed between the reference and ancient datasets, and the morphological and molecular approaches will be compared to assess Type I and Type II error. We will use contextual information and 14C dating to identify the first occurrence of any parasite DNA identified. The project will focus on large- and medium-bodied mammals from archaeological archives and museum collections (including Cardiff Archaeology and the NHM, London), dating from the Holocene (c. 11.7 KYA) until the present-day. Ancient molecular labwork will be carried out at the newly formed Cardiff University ancient DNA (CUAD) laboratory.

Student experience

This project will be based at the vibrant and welcoming, “Organisms and Environment” division of the Cardiff University, School of Biosciences, with opportunities for sampling visits to Museum Wales and The Natural History Museum, London. This is a truly interdisciplinary project, with supervisory experience spanning wildlife disease (Dr. Sarah Perkins, BIOSI), evolutionary genetics and ancient DNA (Dr. David Stanton, BIOSI and Dr. Selina Brace, Natural History Museum, London), molecular helminthology (Dr Iain Chalmers) and zooarchaeology (Dr. Richard Madgwick, SHARE). The student will gain experience in ancient DNA molecular lab work, bioinformatic analysis, and zooarchaeological methodologies (such as species/element identification and faunal pathology). The project is sufficiently broad and novel that the student will have opportunity to develop their own preferences for research direction, for example:

●       Focussing on specific parasites, e.g. bovine Tb: When did it first appear in Britain? Was this emergence associated with domestic animals or wild? When and where did zoonosis events occur?

●       How well do morphological proxies of infection correlate with molecular proxies, and how does this affect their utility as a screening method?

●       How does diversity correlate with prevalence of zoonoses throughout history, i.e. testing the “dilution effect” hypothesis⁷

●       Changes in susceptibility loci in wildlife for prion diseases, such as chronic wasting disease in red deer as a proxy for cryptic zoonotic diseases⁸

We welcome applicants with a Master’s or relevant research experience. An understanding of molecular genetics and bioinformatics would be advantageous. To discuss the project further please contact [Email Address Removed]

How to Apply

For student application, here is the link to the online application survey; https://cardiff.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/onezoo-202425. If the application meets the entrance requirements, the applicant will be invited to an interview. Only successful applicants will then go on and apply to the institution. Instructions for that will be provided after the interview. Information on the application process can also be found on the website www.onezoo.uk.