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A calcium oxalate calculus was found in the anatomically normal bladder of a 1,500-year-old native American male mummy from the Northeastern Arizona Basketmaker cultural group. Results of analysis by chemical, optical, spectrographic and x-ray diffraction methods are listed and compared to several other reported prehistoric uroliths.
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The objective of this experiment was to assess the utility of a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit for diagnosis of giardiasis in archaeological human remains. The kit, a monoclonal antibody assay, is used to detect the presence of Giardia-specific antigen 65 (GSA65) in human faeces. We utilized the assay in ancient faecal material. The material included desiccated faeces found in mummies or in archaeological sites, and sediments from latrines. A total of 83 specimens, previously examined microscopically for parasites, were examined. The ELISA detected 3 positive samples, dated to about 1200 AD, 1600 AD and 1700 AD. The ELISA was superior to direct observation. It was possible to identify G. duodenalis cysts by direct microscopy in only one of these samples. The results did not show cross-reactivity between this protozoan and helminths. The use of ELISA to detect G. duodenalis coproantigen could help the diagnosis of giardiasis in ancient human remains.
The identification of parasites in ancient human faeces is compromised by differential preservation of identifiable parasite structures. However, protein molecules can survive the damage of the environment and can be detected even after centuries. In this paper it is shown that is possible to detect copro-antigen of Entamoeba histolytica in historic and prehistoric human faecal remains, using a commercially available enzyme immunoassay (ELISA) kit. The kit uses monoclonal antibody-peroxidase conjugate specific for E. histolytica adhesin. A total of 90 specimens of desiccated faeces found in mummies and ancient organic sediment from South America, North America, Africa, and Europe were examined. The ELISA detected 20 positive samples, dated to about 5300 years before present to the 19th Century ad. The positive samples are from archaeological sites in Argentina, USA, France, Belgium, and Switzerland. The detection of protozoan antigen using immunoassays is a reliable tool for the studies of intestinal parasites in the past.
Although early Homo specimens are now known from a number of African, Asian and European Middle Pleistocene sites, the taxon Homo heidelbergensis was initially introduced for the Mauer jaw recovered in 1907. Fossil hominids from the earlier Middle Pleistocene of Europe are very rare and the Mauer mandible is generally accepted as one of the most ancient, with an age of approximately 700 kyr. A new preparation of the mandible was conducted in 1996 and gave rise to the detailed palaeopathological examination which is presented here. Based on comparative analyses, the extreme breadth of the mandibular ramus and its flat intercondylar incision, in conjunction with the flattening and broadening of the coronoid process tip, results either from an idiosyncratic pattern of the course and insertion of the temporalis muscle on the coronoid process or from the temporalis possessing an accessory head. The incidence of periodontal pocketing, together with a vertical reduction of the alveolar margin to approximately 3.00 mm, and a slight protuberance formed in vicinity of the right M(2)can safely be interpreted as pathognomonic indications of periodontal disease. The short distance between the enamel-dentine junction of the teeth and the horizontal alveolar margins could either be an inherited variant or may result from incipient osteoporosis. In addition, an arthrotic condition with slight osteophytic peripheral exostoses and an arthrolit (i.e. an articular calculus or "joint mouse") on the left condylus articularisand a depression in the medial part of the left mandibular condyle extending into the inferior part of the ramus are present. These features are indicative of a trauma-induced osteochondrosis dissecans. The diagnosis therefore suggests that the observed depression results from a well-healed fracture. This traumatic event illustrates the demanding living conditions endured by humans during the European Middle Pleistocene. The variations and pathological conditions observed in Mauer do not question the mandible's role as type specimen for the taxon Homo heidelbergensis.
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