Projects / Publications
A Pox In All Our Houses: Discovering the Origin and Evolution of Smallpox Vaccine
Primary Contact: Anna N. Dhody, MFS - Executive Director
This project will sample biological material and historical artifacts of 18th through early 20th century vaccination practices to identify the DNA of historical Orthopoxviruses. The goal is to create an open source, linked data network mapping the migration and mutation of vaccines worldwide and to illuminate the culture of vaccination protocols
This is an active project: research is ongoing.
Second-Pandemic Strain of Vibrio cholerae from the Philadelphia Cholera Outbreak of 1849
Published January 23, 2014
Authors: Alison M. Devault, M.A., G. Brian Golding, Ph.D., Nicholas Waglechner, M.Sc., Jacob M. Enk, M.Sc., Melanie Kuch, M.Sc., Joseph H. Tien, Ph.D., Mang Shi, M.Phil., David N. Fisman, M.D., M.P.H., Anna N. Dhody, M.F.S., Stephen Forrest, M.Sc., Kirsten I. Bos, Ph.D., David J.D. Earn, Ph.D., Edward C. Holmes, Ph.D., and Hendrik N. Poinar, Ph.D.
In the 19th century, there were several major cholera pandemics in the Indian subcontinent, Europe, and North America. The causes of these outbreaks and the genomic strain identities remain a mystery. We used targeted high-throughput sequencing to reconstruct the Vibrio cholerae genome from the preserved intestine of a victim of the 1849 cholera outbreak in Philadelphia, part of the second cholera pandemic.
Type VI secretion system mutations reduced competitive fitness of classical Vibrio cholerae biotype
Published November 9, 2021
Authors: Benjamin Kostiuk, Francis J. Santoriello, Laura Diaz-Satizabal, Fabiana Bisaro, Kyung-Jo Lee, Anna N. Dhody, Daniele Provenzano, Daniel Unterweger & Stefan Pukatzki
The gram-negative bacterium Vibrio cholerae is the causative agent of the diarrhoeal disease cholera and is responsible for seven recorded pandemics. Several factors are postulated to have led to the decline of 6th pandemic classical strains and the rise of El Tor biotype V. cholerae, establishing the current 7th pandemic. We investigated the ability of classical V. cholerae of the 2nd and 6th pandemics to engage their type six secretion system (T6SS) in microbial competition against non-pandemic and 7th pandemic strains.
Ancient pathogen DNA in archaeological samples detected with a Microbial Detection Array
Published March 6, 2014
Authors: Alison M. Devault, Kevin McLoughlin, Crystal Jaing, Shea Gardner, Teresita M. Porter, Jacob M. Enk, James Thissen, Jonathan Allen, Monica Borucki, Sharon N. DeWitte, Anna N. Dhody & Hendrik N. Poinar
Ancient human remains of paleopathological interest typically contain highly degraded DNA in which pathogenic taxa are often minority components, making sequence-based metagenomic characterization costly. Microarrays may hold a potential solution to these challenges, offering a rapid, affordable and highly informative snapshot of microbial diversity in complex samples without the lengthy analysis and/or high cost associated with high-throughput sequencing.
The origins and genomic diversity of American Civil War Era smallpox vaccine strains
Published July 20, 2020
Authors: Ana T. Duggan, Jennifer Klunk, Ashleigh F. Porter, Anna N. Dhody, Robert Hicks, Geoffrey L. Smith, Margaret Humphreys, Andrea M. McCollum, Whitni B. Davidson, Kimberly Wilkins, Yu Li, Amanda Burke, Hanna Polasky, Lowell Flanders, Debi Poinar, Amogelang R. Raphenya, Tammy T. Y. Lau, Brian Alcock, Andrew G. McArthur, G. Brian Golding, Edward C. Holmes & Hendrik N. Poinar
Vaccination has transformed public health, most notably including the eradication of smallpox. Despite its profound historical importance, little is known of the origins and diversity of the viruses used in smallpox vaccination. Prior to the twentieth century, the method, source and origin of smallpox vaccinations remained unstandardised and opaque.
The importance of human osteological collections: Our past, present, and future
Published August 2021
Authors: Robert W. Mann, Katrin Koel-Abt, Anna Dhody, Pasuk Mahakkanukrauh, Varaporn J. Mann, Nawaporn Techataweewan, John R. DeFreytas, Sittiporn Ruengdit
The thesis of this brief exposition is the absolute and immediate necessity of preserving existing osteological collections. Once lost, they can never be replaced. They are priceless, historically and culturally. Each collection is unique, in content and in scientific value.
Microbiome Research in the Pre-Antibiotic Age: The Metagenomic Evaluation of Dental Calculus in the Arch Street Project's Skeletal Remains
Author: Anna N. Dhody
The endogenous DNA will allow us to transition into further specific study of individual taxa/species that are present in the samples. Look at the soil as another point to show that the calculus has its own, unique, authentic signal. Develop strong research questions that will make use of this data. Explore funding opportunities that will allow us to conduct further analysis on additional samples.
A Pox In All Our Houses: Discovering the Origin and Evolution of Smallpox Vaccine
Author: Anna N. Dhody
This project will sample biological material and historical artifacts of 18th through early 20th century vaccination practices to identify the DNA of historical Orthopoxviruses. The goal is to create an open source, linked data network mapping the migration and mutation of vaccines worldwide and to illuminate the culture of vaccination protocols. To do this we are seeking samples of vaccination material from geographically diverse localities and across time.