Whole genome sequence of bacteremic Clostridium tertium in a World War I soldier, 1914.

Background: Dental pulp, encapsulating a blood drop, could be used to diagnose pathogen bacteraemia in archaeological materials using DNA-based techniques. We questioned the viability of such ancient pathogens preserved in ancient dental pulp.

Methods: After meticulous decontamination of 32 teeth collected from 31 World War I soldiers exhumed in Spincourt, France, dental pulps were extracted and cultured under strict anaerobiosis.