Ancient mammoth teeth reveal oldest known microbial DNA

A study published in Cell has revealed the oldest known host-associated microbial DNA, recovered from the teeth and bones of ancient mammoths dating back over one million years. The research analyzed 483 mammoth specimens, including woolly and steppe mammoths, to explore the microorganisms that once inhabited their bodies.

Using advanced metagenomic sequencing and phylogenetic analysis, researchers identified 310 microbial species, six of which were likely living in the mammoths during their lifetimes. These included strains from bacterial genera such as Actinobacillus, Streptococcus, Pasteurella and Erysipelothrix, some of which are known to carry virulence factors linked to modern animal diseases.

A notable discovery was the partial genome of Erysipelothrix retrieved from a 1.1-million-year-old steppe mammoth, representing the oldest authenticated host-associated microbial DNA ever sequenced. While the health impact of these microbes on mammoths remains uncertain, some may have caused oral infections or systemic illnesses similar to those seen in modern-day elephants.

Among the more alarming findings was a Pasteurella-related bacterium similar to the one implicated in fatal outbreaks among African elephants in 2020. That strain caused sepsis after infecting the animals’ mouths.

“This work demonstrates the potential of obtaining ancient animal microbiomes, which can inform further paleoecological and evolutionary research,” according to the study summary. 
 
Read more: Cell 

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