@article{fdi:010068263,
  title = {{H}igh ancient genetic diversity of human lice, {P}ediculus humanus, from {I}srael reveals new insights into the origin of clade {B} lice},
  author = {{A}manzougaghene, {N}. and {M}umcuoglu, {K}. {Y}. and {F}enollar, {F}. and {A}lfi, {S}. and {Y}esilyurt, {G}. and {R}aoult, {D}idier and {M}ediannikov, {O}leg},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{T}he human head louse, {P}ediculus humanus capitis, is subdivided into several significantly divergent mitochondrial haplogroups, each with particular geographical distributions. {H}istorically, they are among the oldest human parasites, representing an excellent marker for tracking older events in human evolutionary history. {I}n this study, ancient {DNA} analysis using real-time polymerase chain reaction (q{PCR}), combined with conventional {PCR}, was applied to the remains of twenty-four ancient head lice and their eggs from the {R}oman period which were recovered from {I}srael. {T}he lice and eggs were found in three combs, one of which was recovered from archaeological excavations in the {H}atzeva area of the {J}udean desert, and two of which found in {M}oa, in the {A}rava region, close to the {D}ead {S}ea. {R}esults show that the head lice remains dating approximately to 2,000 years old have a cytb haplogroup {A}, which is worldwide in distribution, and haplogroup {B}, which has thus far only been found in contemporary lice from {A}merica, {E}urope, {A}ustralia and, most recently, {A}frica. {M}ore specifically, this haplogroup {B} has a {B}36 haplotype, the most common among {B} haplogroups, and has been present in {A}merica for at least 4,000 years. {T}he present findings confirm that clade {B} lice existed, at least in the {M}iddle {E}ast, prior to contacts between {N}ative {A}mericans and {E}uropeans. {T}hese results support a {M}iddle {E}astern origin for clade {B} followed by its introduction into the {N}ew {W}orld with the early peoples. {L}astly, the presence of {A}cinetobacter baumannii {DNA} was demonstrated by q{PCR} and sequencing in four head lice remains belonging to clade {A}.},
  keywords = {{ISRAEL}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{P}los {O}ne},
  volume = {11},
  numero = {10},
  pages = {e0164659 [14p.]},
  ISSN = {1932-6203},
  year = {2016},
  DOI = {10.1371/journal.pone.0164659},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010068263},
}