Ancient pathogen genomics in Africa: Current evidence and future directions.

Ancient pathogen genomics in Africa remains underexplored despite its critical role in understanding human disease history, with current research biased toward Eurasia.

• Why it matters: Understanding Africa's ancient pathogen history is essential because it is central to human evolution and hosts diverse ecosystems that influence zoonotic and vector-borne disease emergence, yet it is largely overlooked.
• What they did: The review evaluates existing ancient pathogen studies across bacteria, parasites, and viruses in Africa and emphasizes the need for continent-wide reconstructions to better understand disease dynamics.
• The result: Focusing on Africa as a strategic frontier will enable comprehensive insights into long-term disease patterns, emergence, and epidemic risks, guiding future research priorities and public health strategies.