Abstract
Infectious diseases have been one of the main causes of mortality in our species, Homo sapiens. Pathogens have had a profound impact on the demography and history of human populations, as well as on their current susceptibility to disease. Indeed, recent paleogenomic studies reveal the imprint left by past epidemics on the human genome : genetic mutations, which conferred resistance against pathogens, spread through natural selection. However, this genetic heritage comes at a price : the same mutations that protected our ancestors can, today, increase our risk of developing inflammatory diseases..
