The ‘red complex’ is an aggregate of three oral bacteria ( Tannerella forsythia , Porphyromonas gingivalis and Treponema denticola ) responsible for severe clinical manifestation of periodontal disease. Here, we report the first direct evidence of ancient T. forsythia DNA in dentin and dental calculus samples from archaeological skeletal remains that span from the Pre-Hispanic to the Colonial period in Mexico. We recovered twelve partial ancient T. forsythia genomes and observed a distinct phylogenetic placement of samples, suggesting that the strains present in Pre-Hispanic individuals likely arrived with the first human migrations to the Americas and that new strains were introduced with the arrival of European and African populations in the sixteenth century. We also identified instances of the differential presence of genes between periods in the T. forsythia ancient genomes, with certain genes present in Pre-Hispanic individuals and absent in Colonial individuals, and vice versa . This study highlights the potential for studying ancient T. forsythia genomes to unveil past social interactions through analysis of disease transmission. Our results illustrate the long-standing relationship between this oral pathogen and its human host, while also unveiling key evidence to understand its evolutionary history in Pre-Hispanic and Colonial Mexico. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Insights into health and disease from ancient biomolecules'.

vesicatory (Xcv) phytopathogenic bacteria, with extracts of different polarity obtained from roots of Jatropha dioica Seseé (Blood grade), endemic plant species of Mexico valued in traditional medicine for its pharmacological and healing properties. As an indicator of cellular respiration in bacterial cultures exposed to extracts, 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride was used. The methanolic, hexane and ethyl acetate extracts showed antimicrobial activity against the phytopathogens Cmm, Pst and Xcv. According to the results, the hexane extract showed the lowest Maximum Average Inhibitory concentration (IC50) against Pst and Xcv (0.5 ± 0.01 and 1.7 ± 0.36 mg mL-1 , respectively), so it was separated by column chromatography. As a result, a white crystalline solid identified spectroscopically as citlalitrione was isolated and purified, said compound also exhibited activity against the Cmm, Pst and Xcv bacteria with an IC50 of 1.0 ± 0.13, 1.0 ± 0.11 and 1.1 ± 0.19 mg mL-1 , respectively. These in vitro results open the possibility of using plant extracts of J. dioica for the control of diseases caused by the bacteria studied in tomato cultivation, offering an alternative to the use of antibiotics or copper compounds.

The discovery of an elite burial in Tlailotlacan, a neighborhood of Teotihuacan, gave us a unique opportunity not only to put together a group of multidisciplinary specialists, but to revive this remarkable woman who inhabited, ate, drank, and traveled through most of Mesoamerican. The different analysis carried out provided us with a unique opportunity to reconstruct part of the relations between inhabitants from different regions in ancient Mexico.

colza (Brassica napus), girasol (Helianthus annuus), soya (Glycine max), palma aceitera (Elaeis guineensis) y piñón (Jatropha curcas), tienen actualmente un gran interés, de las cuales las pertenecientes a este último género destacan por la cantidad y composición de los aceites