Tyrannosaurs suffered from gout.
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Animals↗
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Results for “PALEOPATHOLOGY”
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Reading the bones of La Florida.
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Adult↗
The eloquent bones of Abu Hureyra.
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Activities of Daily Living↗
An interesting asymmetry in a mediaeval skull.
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Cephalometry↗
Taking a look at 3,000-year-old teeth.
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Adolescent↗
A comparative cephalometric investigation of the Greek craniofacial pattern through 4,000 years.
A comparative cephalometric investigation was conducted between modern and ancient Greeks to determine craniofacial characteristics and to examine the significance of ethnic heritage. The modern sample was composed of 54 individuals chosen on the basis of ethnic background, normal occlusion and facial harmony. The ancient sample consisted of 40 skulls with normal occlusion dated back to the Minoan civilization (ca. 1,800-1,200 B.C.). A remarkable similarity in craniofacial morphology was revealed between the two groups, suggesting a close genetic affinity between modern and ancient Greeks. The ability of the craniofacial complex to make compensatory or balancing changes was noted. The craniofacial complex was seen to function as an integrated biological entity. Moreover, the cranial base showed a definite influence on skeletal profile configuration. These results provide a more comprehensive understanding of how craniofacial variables interact and contribute to the morphology of the dentofacial skeleton.
Adolescent↗
Impacted canine in a prehistoric skull.
Impacted teeth are frequently found in humans today, but current data suggest their existance in skulls originating from the prehistoric age. This report describes the skull of an adult female that was found during excavation in the Croation enolithic site of Vucedol (2700-24--BC). The skull is well preserved and, according to cranial and facial index calculation, is classified as dolichocephalic and mesoprospic. Cephalometric analysis revealed bimaxillary prognathism. The maxillary left canine is impacted and its crown peak is visible through the alveolar maxillary bone fenestration. The position of the canine was verified using x-rays, and is described in this study as an isolated finding. The reported occurrence of impacted teeth in prehistoric material appears to confirm the multifactorial etiology of this anomaly.
Adult↗
Canine transposition in prehistoric Pakistan: Bronze Age and Iron Age case reports.
This report documents two prehistoric cases of canine-first premolar transposition (Mx.C.P1) from the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent. Recent discussion of the etiology of canine transposition and reports of high prevalence for the condition in modern India accentuate the significance of the ancient cases reported there. Case 1 is from the Iron Age site of Sarai Khola in northern Pakistan (1000 BC). The specimen, an adult female, 25 to 30 years of age at death, exhibits unilateral Mx.C.P1 transposition on the left side. The condition is associated with a barrel-shaped maxillary left third molar in an otherwise normal and healthy maxillary dental arch. Case 2 is from the Bronze Age urban site of Harappa (2500 BC), an important center of the Indus Valley Civilization. In this specimen, an adult female, transposition is bilateral, resulting in displacement of premolars and large diastemata between the maxillary lateral incisors and first premolars. Bilateral agenesis of maxillary third molars and rotation of maxillary and mandibular teeth occur with transposition in this specimen. In neither case are the lateral incisors reduced in size, peg-shaped, or congenitally absent. This report of Mx.C.P1 transposition in prehistoric times is significant because it provides historical documentation for the female predilection of the trait and establishes its co-occurrence with specific dental variants, such as agenesis, reduction, and rotation of teeth.
Bicuspid↗
Squatting facets on the neck of the talus and extensions of the trochlear surface of the talus in late Byzantine males.
Remodelling of bone occurs in response to physical stress. Habitual squatting is associated with modifications of the neck of the talus (squatting facets) and its trochlear/malleolar surfaces (trochlear extensions), and individual populations exhibit different incidences of these modifications that reflect their lifestyle. The occurrence of talar modifications was therefore investigated in a population of late Byzantine (13th century AD) adult male skeletons. Lateral squatting facets occurred most frequently (37.7%), but medial (0.6%), combined (0.6%) and continuous (gutter-like) facets (0.6%) were also observed. Lateral (8.0%), medial (10.9%) and continuous (lateral/central/medial) extensions (4.6%) of the trochlear surface were all present in the late Byzantine population. There was no evidence of side dimorphism. The occurrence of lateral squatting facets in the late Byzantine population was greater than that reported for modern Europeans, but similar to that reported for some populations of modern Indians. The frequency of occurrence of trochlear extensions in the late Byzantine population was substantially less than in modern Indian populations, but similar to modern Europeans. Therefore, it is unlikely that precisely the same factors determine the expression of squatting facets and trochlear extensions.
Adult↗
The detection of Escherichia coli DNA in the ancient remains of Lindow Man using the polymerase chain reaction.
The polymerase chain reaction has been applied to the detection of Escherichia coli DNA in the upper gut contents of Lindow Man, an Iron Age bog body dated to ca 300 BC. With sets of primers from the uidA and lacZ genes, E. coli DNA could be detected reproducibly. Initial attempts at detecting DNA from freshly voided faeces from a healthy volunteer were unsuccessful due to inhibition of the reaction. Development of a method, based on guanidine thiocyanate and silica extraction and purification of the DNA fragments, facilitated the detection of the E. coli DNA in both freshly voided faeces and the upper gut contents of Lindow Man. These findings indicate that it may be possible to study the existence of infectious diseases in ancient civilizations and to learn more about the evolution of microbes.
Animals↗
[Syphilis and human treponemes: a long evolutionary history revealed by paleogenomics].
Recent discoveries in paleogenomics have revolutionized our understanding of syphilis and other human treponematoses. Far from being a pathogen that suddenly appeared in Europe in the late Middle Ages, we now know that Treponema pallidum has been circulated among human populations for millennia. Ancient genomes recovered from pre-Columbian contexts in the Americas show that major treponemal lineages had already diversified well before the modern era, often in the absence of recognizable skeletal lesions. Genomic analyses further indicate that treponemal diversity is not the result of extensive genetic acquisition, but rather of small-scale modulation of a highly conserved genome, notably via antigenic variation involving the tpr gene family. Combined with data on endemic treponematoses, congenital syphilis, and historical pathology collections, these findings support a model in which syphilis, yaws, and bejel represent context-dependent expressions of an ancient treponemal continuum, with implications for diagnosis, epidemiology, and vaccine design.
Humans↗
Human enterobiasis in evolution: origin, specificity and transmission.
The co-evolutionary pathway seems to be the most plausible hypothesis for the explanation of the origin of human pinworms. Of the two modes of transmission of oxyurids among humans which have been documented, the direct oral/anal route is also observed in other Primates and seems to have been favoured by selection. As indirect air-borne transmission has also been shown for human enterobiasis, the question of "How this alternative to the standard transmission method could have arisen" is examined. The results of comparative studies of prevalence of Enterobius in human coprolites, in villages of Neolithic age of the arid west of North America, show that a higher prevalence of pinworms is correlated with the lower total amount of air-exchange in caves relative to other structures. The air-borne route of transmission of pinworms among humans is interpreted as an innovation in the human/Enterobius pair. This mode of transfer could have been favoured during the time when humans changed their behaviour from a hunting-gathering to a more sedentary existence, initially associated with cave habitats.
Biological Evolution↗
Bacteria in two-millennia-old cheese, and related epizoonoses in Roman populations.
A tremendous volcanic eruption destroyed all the life around Mount Vesuvius during the night between 24 and 25 August, 79 AD. Two famous towns, Pompeii and Herculaneum, were completely buried under volcanic products. At Herculaneum, about 25m of volcanic mud killed about 250 people who had fled to the beaches in an attempt to escape (Bisel, S. C.,Rivista di Studi Pompeiani, 1, 123-124, 1987). An anthropological examination of the skeletons of these "fugitives" reveals the bone lesions typical of brucellosis in 17.4% of adults (Capasso, L., International Journal of Osteoarchaelogy, 9, 277-288, 1999). This very high incidence of brucellosis was theoretically linked to the consumption of ovine milk and its derivates, which is also indicated by both literary and figurative sources. A single carbonized cheese was found in Herculaneum; its analysis clearly reveals the excellent state of preservation of the milk curds. For the first time, we demonstrate the presence of a variety of bacteria, possibly Lactobacillus, that also includes cocco-like forms that seem to be morphologically and dimensionally consistent with Brucella. The long interval spent by the organic remains under the volcanic mud and high temperatures they suffered preclude the possibility of identifying the bacteria through molecular methods.
Animals↗
Mycolic acids and ancient DNA confirm an osteological diagnosis of tuberculosis.
SETTING: The underlying trends in the past epidemiology of tuberculosis (TB) are obscure, requiring recourse to the archaeological record. It would therefore be of value to develop methods for reliable TB diagnosis in ancient populations. OBJECTIVE: To test the capability of two biomarkers, Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex mycolic acids and a DNA target (IS6110), for confirming an osteological diagnosis of TB in medieval individuals, based on the presence of Pott's disease and/or rib lesions. DESIGN: Osteological examination of three archaeological individuals (Medieval: approximately 1000 years old) revealed a Pott's disease case, one with no changes consistent with TB and one with rib lesions. Rib samples from these individuals were examined for the presence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex mycolic acids and mycobacterial DNA. RESULTS: Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex mycolic acids and the DNA target were detected in the Pott's disease case, whilst mycolic acids (insufficient for confirmation) alone were detected in the rib lesion case. CONCLUSIONS: Biomarkers provide a sensitive tool to detect ancient TB. Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA is not distributed homogeneously, making multiple sampling essential. Mycolic acids seem more reliable for ancient TB diagnosis than IS6110. The demonstrated stability of mycolic acids show that they may be of value in tracing the palaeoepidemiology of tuberculosis back into antiquity.
Adult↗
Rib lesions and tuberculosis: the palaeopathological evidence.
SETTING: Tuberculosis diagnosis in past populations relies on lesions in the spine and major weight bearing joints of the body. Bone formation on visceral surfaces of ribs has also been suggested to be the result of chronic pulmonary disease. OBJECTIVE: To test whether these lesions are the result of pulmonary infection (most likely tuberculosis), by reviewing past work, and to discuss whether these lesions could be considered another diagnostic criterion for pulmonary tuberculosis. DESIGN: A review of the literature on new bone formation on ribs, and consideration of further evidence from archaeological skeletal material from the UK. RESULTS: Results from modern studies suggest that bone formation on ribs is often the result of pulmonary tuberculosis, that lesions are relatively common in archaeological skeletal material, and that some skeletons have rib lesions plus pathognomonic changes of tuberculosis. CONCLUSION: Evidence suggests that new bone formation on visceral surfaces of ribs should be considered a possible indicator of tuberculosis. If accepted, historical evidence, when correlated with rib data, produces closer approximations to the frequency of the disease in the past. This study indicates the importance of palaeopathology in identifying sometimes subtle lesions that may not be noted by clinicians because of their non-visibility on radiographs.
Humans↗