Some scholars consider the Antonine Plague to have been a major disease outbreak in the 2nd century CE that caused a significant decline in the population of the Roman Empire. Although there is currently no molecular evidence of the specific pathogen, literary evidence indicates the parameters of the disease that it caused and how significant the impact on Roman society was. One way to advance the current discussion concerning the Antonine Plague's impact on the Roman Empire's population is to examine the currently available sources and comparatively model the spread of different pathogens in a specific location with known demographic data for the relevant period. To accomplish this, we developed a series of dynamic ordinary differential equation models of the spread of disease in Rome between 165 and 189 CE for several pathogens. We found that daily disease deaths in the final years of the pandemic were inconsistent with estimates reported in primary sources, suggesting that either (a) the impact of the Antonine Plague may have been exaggerated in the descriptions of ancient authors, or (b) the daily deaths in ca. 189 CE were caused by a different disease event than the Antonine Plague, or (c) seasonality might have been a significant factor changing the intensity of disease spread, with the population more severely affected during the winter months. Although none of the pathogens we analyzed emerged as the likely causative agent of the Antonine Plague, the models show that the overall mortality rate would have increased maximally by 7%. This result contradicts the mortality rate accepted by historians who defend the thesis of the significant impact of this epidemic on the demography of the Roman Empire.

• MeSH
• dějiny 17. století MeSH
• dějiny starověku MeSH
• epidemický výskyt choroby dějiny   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mor * dějiny   epidemiologie   MeSH
• Check Tag
• dějiny 17. století MeSH
• dějiny starověku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• historické články MeSH
• srovnávací studie MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Řím epidemiologie   MeSH

OBJECTIVES: Justinian plague and its subsequent outbreaks were major events influencing Early Medieval Europe. One of the affected communities was the population of Saint-Doulchard in France, where plague victim burials were concentrated in a cemetery enclosure ditch. This study aimed to obtain more information about their life-histories using the tools of isotope analysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Dietary analysis using carbon and nitrogen isotopes was conducted on 97 individuals buried at Le Pressoir in Saint-Doulchard, with 36 of those originating from the enclosure ditch. This sample set includes all individuals analyzed for plague DNA in a previous study. Mobility analysis using strontium isotope analysis supplements the dietary study, with 47 analyzed humans. The results are supported by a reference sample set of 31 animal specimens for dietary analysis and 9 for mobility analysis. RESULTS: The dietary analysis results showed significantly different dietary behavior in individuals from the ditch burials, with better access to higher quality foods richer in animal protein. 87Sr/86Sr ratios are similar for both studied groups and indicate a shared or similar area of origin. DISCUSSION: The results suggest that the ditch burials contain an urban population from the nearby city of Bourges, which overall had a better diet than the rural population from Saint-Doulchard. It is implied that city's population might have been subjected to high mortality rates during the plague outbreak(s), which led to their interment in nearby rural cemeteries.

• Klíčová slova
• 87Sr/86Sr, Early Middle Ages, Justinian plague, δ13C, δ15N,
• MeSH
• dějiny středověku MeSH
• dieta * škodlivé účinky   dějiny   MeSH
• dítě MeSH
• dospělí MeSH
• hřbitovy MeSH
• izotopy dusíku * analýza   MeSH
• izotopy stroncia analýza   MeSH
• izotopy uhlíku * analýza   MeSH
• kojenec MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mladiství MeSH
• mladý dospělý MeSH
• mor * dějiny   epidemiologie   mortalita   MeSH
• předškolní dítě MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• dějiny středověku MeSH
• dítě MeSH
• dospělí MeSH
• kojenec MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mladiství MeSH
• mladý dospělý MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• předškolní dítě MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• historické články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Francie epidemiologie   MeSH
• Názvy látek
• izotopy dusíku * MeSH
• izotopy stroncia MeSH
• izotopy uhlíku * MeSH

• MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mor * epidemiologie   MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• komentáře MeSH

Caused by Yersinia pestis, plague ravaged the world through three known pandemics: the First or the Justinianic (6th-8th century); the Second (beginning with the Black Death during c.1338-1353 and lasting until the 19th century); and the Third (which became global in 1894). It is debatable whether Y. pestis persisted in European wildlife reservoirs or was repeatedly introduced from outside Europe (as covered by European Union and the British Isles). Here, we analyze environmental data (soil characteristics and climate) from active Chinese plague reservoirs to assess whether such environmental conditions in Europe had ever supported "natural plague reservoirs". We have used new statistical methods which are validated through predicting the presence of modern plague reservoirs in the western United States. We find no support for persistent natural plague reservoirs in either historical or modern Europe. Two factors make Europe unfavorable for long-term plague reservoirs: 1) Soil texture and biochemistry and 2) low rodent diversity. By comparing rodent communities in Europe with those in China and the United States, we conclude that a lack of suitable host species might be the main reason for the absence of plague reservoirs in Europe today. These findings support the hypothesis that long-term plague reservoirs did not exist in Europe and therefore question the importance of wildlife rodent species as the primary plague hosts in Europe.

• Klíčová slova
• Europe, Yersinia pestis, environmental conditions, natural plague reservoirs, rodent diversity,
• MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mor * epidemiologie   dějiny   MeSH
• pandemie dějiny   MeSH
• podnebí MeSH
• půda MeSH
• Yersinia pestis * MeSH
• zdroje nemoci MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Evropa MeSH
• Názvy látek
• půda MeSH

AIMS: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the occurrence of Yersinia enterocolitica in different types of wastewater and to characterize the isolates by biotyping, serotyping, and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. In addition, cultivation protocols were evaluated. METHODS AND RESULTS: The occurrence of Y. enterocolitica was determined in treated and untreated municipal wastewater, as well as in hospital, slaughterhouse, and cowshed wastewater. Y. enterocolitica was detected in 84.1% of the wastewater samples, while the main sources were untreated municipal and slaughterhouse wastewater. In contrast, the lowest incidence was found in hospital wastewater. An exclusive occurrence of biotype 1A (98.3%) was detected. Pathogenic bio-serotypes 4/O:3 and 3/O:3 were isolated only from slaughterhouse wastewater. The highest resistance rates were observed for ampicillin (92.5%) and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (36.8%). CONCLUSIONS: Y. enterocolitica was commonly detected in wastewater, although the prevalence varied depending on the origin of the wastewater. No single cultivation protocol was able to recover Y. enterocolitica isolates from such a complex matrix as wastewater. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Our study provided data that can contribute to the evaluation of wastewater as a source of Y. enterocolitica and to understanding the threat of wastewater isolates to human health.

• Klíčová slova
• Yersinia enterocolitica, antimicrobial susceptibility, detection, occurrence, wastewater,
• MeSH
• ampicilin MeSH
• antibakteriální látky farmakologie   MeSH
• bakteriální léková rezistence MeSH
• infekce yersiniemi * epidemiologie   MeSH
• kombinace amoxicilinu a kyseliny klavulanové MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• odpadní voda MeSH
• Yersinia enterocolitica * MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Česká republika MeSH
• Názvy látek
• ampicilin MeSH
• antibakteriální látky MeSH
• kombinace amoxicilinu a kyseliny klavulanové MeSH
• odpadní voda MeSH

The distribution of the black rat (Rattus rattus) has been heavily influenced by its association with humans. The dispersal history of this non-native commensal rodent across Europe, however, remains poorly understood, and different introductions may have occurred during the Roman and medieval periods. Here, in order to reconstruct the population history of European black rats, we first generate a de novo genome assembly of the black rat. We then sequence 67 ancient and three modern black rat mitogenomes, and 36 ancient and three modern nuclear genomes from archaeological sites spanning the 1st-17th centuries CE in Europe and North Africa. Analyses of our newly reported sequences, together with published mitochondrial DNA sequences, confirm that black rats were introduced into the Mediterranean and Europe from Southwest Asia. Genomic analyses of the ancient rats reveal a population turnover in temperate Europe between the 6th and 10th centuries CE, coincident with an archaeologically attested decline in the black rat population. The near disappearance and re-emergence of black rats in Europe may have been the result of the breakdown of the Roman Empire, the First Plague Pandemic, and/or post-Roman climatic cooling.

• MeSH
• archeologie MeSH
• krysa rodu Rattus MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mitochondriální DNA genetika   MeSH
• mor * epidemiologie   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• krysa rodu Rattus MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Evropa epidemiologie   MeSH
• Střední východ MeSH
• Názvy látek
• mitochondriální DNA MeSH

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to provide an overview of the basic epidemiological characteristics of human yersiniosis and to analyze the reported epidemiological data on the incidence of this disease in the Czech Republic (CZ) in 2018-2020. METHODS: A descriptive analysis was performed of cases of yersiniosis captured in the Infectious Disease Information System (ISIN) in the CZ in 2018-2020. MS Excel 2010 was used for data processing and sorting. RESULTS: In the CZ, a total of 1,686 cases of yersiniosis were reported in 2018-2020 (average annual incidence of 5/100,000 population). The highest average age-specific incidence was recorded in the age group 1-4 years (31.3/100,000), followed by 0-year-olds (26.9/100,000). In the study period, 942 cases were male and 744 cases were female, with the respective incidences of 6.0 /100,000 and 4.6/100,000. By administrative region, the highest average annual incidences were recorded in the South Moravian (9.1/100,000) and Moravian-Silesian (7.5/100,000) Regions. Hospital admission was required for 14.3% (n = 241) of reported cases. No death or outbreak was reported during the study period. A total of 31 cases were imported from usual recreational destinations. No seasonality was detected in the CZ; however, more cases always occur in January and in the second half of the year. Over the last three years, a stagnant trend in the incidence of the disease has been observed in the CZ. CONCLUSIONS: In 2018 and 2019, yersiniosis (caused by Y. enterocolitica and rarely Y. pseudotuberculosis) was the fourth most commonly reported zoonosis in humans in the European Union (EU), with a stable trend in 2014-2019. The CZ reports an incidence up to three times higher but a 2.5 lower share of hospitalized patients compared to the EU average, which probably indicates that the CZ has an effective surveillance system in place. The trend in the incidence of the disease has stagnated in the CZ and the EU in recent years. The most common vehicle for transmission of yersiniosis to humans is contaminated food, especially undercooked pork, less often vegetables or water. Contamination of products from home slaughtered animals intended for private consumption is likely and would also explain the increased incidence of the disease, particularly in the winter months.

• Klíčová slova
• Czech Republic, Y. pseudotuberculosis, Yersinia enterocolitica, diarrheal diseases, food- and water-borne diseases, waterborne and foodborne infections, yersiniosis,
• MeSH
• epidemický výskyt choroby MeSH
• incidence MeSH
• infekce yersiniemi * epidemiologie   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• roční období MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Česká republika epidemiologie   MeSH

The bacterial pathogen Yersinia pestis gave rise to devastating outbreaks throughout human history, and ancient DNA evidence has shown it afflicted human populations as far back as the Neolithic. Y. pestis genomes recovered from the Eurasian Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age (LNBA) period have uncovered key evolutionary steps that led to its emergence from a Yersinia pseudotuberculosis-like progenitor; however, the number of reconstructed LNBA genomes are too few to explore its diversity during this critical period of development. Here, we present 17 Y. pestis genomes dating to 5,000 to 2,500 y BP from a wide geographic expanse across Eurasia. This increased dataset enabled us to explore correlations between temporal, geographical, and genetic distance. Our results suggest a nonflea-adapted and potentially extinct single lineage that persisted over millennia without significant parallel diversification, accompanied by rapid dispersal across continents throughout this period, a trend not observed in other pathogens for which ancient genomes are available. A stepwise pattern of gene loss provides further clues on its early evolution and potential adaptation. We also discover the presence of the flea-adapted form of Y. pestis in Bronze Age Iberia, previously only identified in in the Caucasus and the Volga regions, suggesting a much wider geographic spread of this form of Y. pestis. Together, these data reveal the dynamic nature of plague’s formative years in terms of its early evolution and ecology.

• Klíčová slova
• Yersinia pestis, ancient DNA, plague,
• MeSH
• chov zvířat dějiny   MeSH
• dějiny starověku MeSH
• fylogeneze MeSH
• genetická variace MeSH
• genom bakteriální * MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• migrace lidstva dějiny   MeSH
• mor * epidemiologie   dějiny   mikrobiologie   MeSH
• starobylá DNA MeSH
• Yersinia pestis * klasifikace   genetika   izolace a purifikace   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• dějiny starověku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• historické články MeSH
• Názvy látek
• starobylá DNA MeSH

The Black Death (1347-1352 CE) is the most renowned pandemic in human history, believed by many to have killed half of Europe's population. However, despite advances in ancient DNA research that conclusively identified the pandemic's causative agent (bacterium Yersinia pestis), our knowledge of the Black Death remains limited, based primarily on qualitative remarks in medieval written sources available for some areas of Western Europe. Here, we remedy this situation by applying a pioneering new approach, 'big data palaeoecology', which, starting from palynological data, evaluates the scale of the Black Death's mortality on a regional scale across Europe. We collected pollen data on landscape change from 261 radiocarbon-dated coring sites (lakes and wetlands) located across 19 modern-day European countries. We used two independent methods of analysis to evaluate whether the changes we see in the landscape at the time of the Black Death agree with the hypothesis that a large portion of the population, upwards of half, died within a few years in the 21 historical regions we studied. While we can confirm that the Black Death had a devastating impact in some regions, we found that it had negligible or no impact in others. These inter-regional differences in the Black Death's mortality across Europe demonstrate the significance of cultural, ecological, economic, societal and climatic factors that mediated the dissemination and impact of the disease. The complex interplay of these factors, along with the historical ecology of plague, should be a focus of future research on historical pandemics.

• MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mor * epidemiologie   dějiny   mikrobiologie   MeSH
• pandemie dějiny   MeSH
• starobylá DNA MeSH
• Yersinia pestis * genetika   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Evropa epidemiologie   MeSH
• Názvy látek
• starobylá DNA MeSH

The article describes a case of a rare infection caused by Yersinia pseudotuberculosis in a five-year-old boy admitted to the hospital. The infection was manifested by the so-called right lower quadrant syndrome, or terminal ileitis. The Y. pseudotuberculosis strain was isolated from the patient's feces and its biochemical properties are reported. Confirmation was performed by the National Reference Laboratory for E. coli and Shigella. Since pseudotuberculosis is very rare in the Czech Republic, the authors would like to draw attention to this infection. Enlargement of lymph nodes in the right lower quadrant of the abdomen may suggest the infection caused by Y. pseudotuberculosis.

• MeSH
• Escherichia coli MeSH
• feces MeSH
• gastroenteritida * diagnóza   MeSH
• infekce vyvolané Yersinia pseudotuberculosis * MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• předškolní dítě MeSH
• Yersinia pseudotuberculosis * MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• předškolní dítě MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• kazuistiky MeSH