Anthropology 275       Reading Report 6
Disease in Prehistory       due 2/22



Mostowy S, Behr MA. 2005. The origins and evolution of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Clinics in Chest Medicine 26: 207-216.
1. What does MTC stands for? Which bacterial agents does it include and why? Which hosts do MTC bacteria typically infect?
2. Parasitic microorganisms tend to shed genetic information because most of necessary nutrients can be obtained from a host. This loss of DNA segments is referred to as deletion. Based on Figure 1 and its explanation in text answer the following questions:
      a) Which deletions are shared by M. caprae and M. bovis?
      b) Which of the following bacteria have the largest genome (the longest DNA): M. tuberculosis, M. caprae, or M. bovis?
      c) Which of the following bacteria have the largest genome (the longest DNA): M. tuberculosis, M. avium, or M. bovis?
3. Where and when did M. tuberculosis first appear according to the paper? How did it spread?
4. How do Mostowy and Behr explain the TB epidemic in the 19th century western Europe?