Past endemic malaria and adaptive responses in the fens and marshlands of eastern England
Changes in climate have increased concerns over the return of temperate malaria to the United Kingdom. Hence, studies of ancient disease are becoming more relevant for future health predictions in areas which are under threat of disease re-emergence. Conditions were likely ideal for Plasmodium vivax malaria from at least the Roman period, and recent research on Anglo-Saxon Fen populations has suggested an indigenous malarial presence. The primary aim of this project was to investigate the presence of English malaria in archaeological Fen cemetery populations from the Roman, Anglo-Saxon, and later medieval periods (c. AD 40-1600), using biomolecular analyses of human bone, and palaeopathological analyses via extant published data. A further aim was to investigate Mastersâ (1987) hypothesis concerning preferential survival of non-collagenous proteins (NCPs) within archaeological bone. Indirect evidence for malaria was sought by reassessing archaeological reports for osteological evidence of the genetic anaemia ÎČ thalassaemia at 13 cemetery sites (five Roman, seven Anglo-Saxon, one late medieval) closely associated with the Fens and marshlands of Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire. A palaeodemographic comparison
Kendall, Ross
Past endemic malaria and adaptive responses in the fens and marshlands of eastern England. Changes in climate have increased concerns over the return of temperate malaria to the United Kingdom. Hence, studies of ancient disease are becoming more relevant for future health predictions in areas which are under threat of disease re-emergence. Conditions were likely ideal for Plasmodium vivax malaria from at least the Roman period, and recent research on Anglo-Saxon Fen populations has suggested an indigenous malarial presence. The primary aim of this project was to investigate the presence of English malaria in archaeological Fen cemetery populations from the Roman, Anglo-Saxon, and later medieval periods (c. AD 40-1600), using biomolecular analyses of human bone, and palaeopathological analyses via extant published data. A further aim was to investigate Mastersâ (1987) hypothesis concerning preferential survival of non-collagenous proteins (NCPs) within archaeological bone. Indirect evidence for malaria was sought by reassessing archaeological reports for osteological evidence of the genetic anaemia ÎČ thalassaemia at 13 cemetery sites (five Roman, seven Anglo-Saxon, one late medieval) closely associated with the Fens and marshlands of Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire. A palaeodemographic comparison
past endemic malaria adaptive response eastern_england changes climate increase concern return temperate malaria united_kingdom hence study ancient disease become relevant future health prediction area threat disease re_emergence conditions likely ideal malaria least roman_period recent anglo saxon fen population suggest indigenous presence primary_aim project_investigate presence english malaria archaeological fen cemetery_population roman anglo_saxon later_medieval period use biomolecular analysis human_bone palaeopathological analysis via extant publish_data aim_investigate masters hypothesis_concern survival non protein within archaeological_bone indirect evidence malaria seek reassess archaeological_report osteological_evidence genetic cemetery_site roman anglo_saxon late_medieval closely_associate lincolnshire cambridgeshire comparison