RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: This project seeks to create a differential diagnosis for lesions found on the skeletal remains of two children as a means to explore the presence of viral disease in 16th- century Peru. MATERIALS: Extremely well-preserved human remains of two children who died between the ages of 1-2 years old, recovered from the circum-contact (â¼1540 CE) cemetery in Huanchaco, Peru. METHODS: Macroscopic and radiographic analysis. RESULTS: Both individuals present with cortical thickening, symmetrical destructive lesions, metaphyseal expansion, perforations, exposure of the medullary cavity, resorption of metaphyseal ends and necrosis of the long bones, and deposited reactive new bone. These features are consistent with osteomyelitis variolosa and bacterial osteomyelitis. CONCLUSIONS: Three features of Individuals IG-124 and IG-493 suggest a highly consistent diagnosis of osteomyelitis variolosa: multiple skeletal lesions, the historical context of the area, and the high mortality rate of non-adults in the circum-contact cemetery. SIGNIFICANCE: Although viral infections are ubiquitous and well documented historically, their etiologies are often difficult to determine in archaeological populations. Orthopoxvirus variola (smallpox) is one of the many viruses whose archaeological impact is still under explored in skeletal remains. LIMITATIONS: The absence of smallpox in other children from the Huanchaco cemetery creates difficulty in ascertaining true prevalence rates or information on potential outbreaks. SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH: Further research analyzing aDNA from calculus and/or residues using a DIP-GC-MS method might create a better understanding of how smallpox spread through the region.
Assuntos
Varíola , Humanos , Varíola/história , Varíola/patologia , Peru , História do Século XVI , Lactente , Pré-Escolar , Masculino , Osteomielite/história , Osteomielite/patologia , Paleopatologia/métodos , Feminino , Cemitérios/históriaRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: This paper assesses the relationship between the distance between the cemento-enamel junction and alveolar crest and risk factors commonly associated with periodontitis. MATERIALS: Eighty individuals between 28 and 92 years old with known biological sex and age were analyzed from a 20th century forensic human collection from Merida, Yucatan (Mexico). METHODS: Macroscopic assessment, along with metric analysis, was employed using a probe. RESULTS: Ante-mortem tooth loss was positively correlated with the distance between the cemento-enamel junction and alveolar crest, as was the presence of root calculus in females. CONCLUSIONS: Cemento-enamel junction to alveolar crest distance is not a reliable indicator of periodontitis since it is not directly related to periodontitis-causing infectious pathogens, and since ante-mortem tooth loss can affect root exposure. SIGNIFICANCE: This study demonstrates that a purely quantitative approach to diagnosing periodontitis in archaeological and forensic human remains can be misleading. LIMITATIONS: The skeletal collection is only representative of the low socioeconomic class of Merida, and its female cohort is underrepresented. In addition, because the Xoclan collection is modern, limitations (particularly with respect to tooth wear) of the applicability of these interpretations to older archaeological remains exist. SUGGESTION FOR FURTHER RESEARCH: A combination of quantitative and qualitative characteristics of alveolar bone is needed to reliably diagnose periodontitis in skeletal populations.
Assuntos
Perda do Osso Alveolar , Cálculos Dentários , Periodontite , Humanos , Feminino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Idoso , Adulto , Masculino , México , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Perda do Osso Alveolar/patologia , Perda do Osso Alveolar/história , Periodontite/patologia , Periodontite/história , Cálculos Dentários/patologia , Cálculos Dentários/história , Perda de Dente/patologia , Perda de Dente/história , Paleopatologia/métodos , Classe Social , Baixo Nível SocioeconômicoRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To present paleopathological evidence of a congenital anomaly with photographic support and a review that will help scholars to diagnose the condition. MATERIALS: Well-preserved skeletal remains of a child from central Colombia, dated 968-1046 CE. METHODS: Macroscopic examination and computerized axial tomography. RESULTS: Two holes were observed in the skull. CONCLUSIONS: The pathology is consistent with a neural tube defect or an inclusion cyst. SIGNIFICANCE: Neural tube defects and inclusion cysts, in paleopathology, are rarely reported in children. The preservation and origin of the individual make this case valuable. The photographic support and the review is useful for other scholars in the field. LIMITATIONS: It was not possible to determine a single cause. SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH: Review cases in identified osteological collections.
Assuntos
Paleopatologia , Crânio , Humanos , Criança , Diagnóstico Diferencial , Crânio/diagnóstico por imagem , Paleopatologia/métodos , América do Sul , CabeçaRESUMO
The Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC) has affected South American populations since ca. 200 years BCE. In Argentina, possible cases date from ca. 1000-1400 Common Era (CE). This paper describes the oldest (905-1030 CE) confirmed case of tuberculosis (TB) in a young adult male from Lomitas de Saujil (Tinogasta, Catamarca, Argentina). Osteolytic lesions on the bodies of the lower spine were macroscopically and radiographically identified. Bilateral new bone formation was seen on the visceral vertebral third of several ribs and in long bones, compatible with hypertrophic osteoarthropathy. Representative rib and hand bones gave profiles for MTC-specific C27-C32 mycocerosic acid lipid biomarkers; these were strongest in one heavily-lesioned lower rib, which also had MTC-diagnostic C76-C89 mycolic acids and positive amplification of MTC-typical IS6110 aDNA fragments. During the first millennium CE, the intense social interaction, the spatial circumscription of villages among the pre-Hispanic societies in the mesothermal valleys of Catamarca and the fluid contacts with the Eastern lowlands, valleys and puna, were factors likely to favor disease transmission. It is proposed that TB arrived from northern Chile and dispersed towards the northeast into the Yocavil valley, where several cases of TB infection were macroscopically identified for a later chronology.
Assuntos
Osso e Ossos/diagnóstico por imagem , DNA Bacteriano/história , Mycobacterium tuberculosis/genética , Paleopatologia/métodos , Tuberculose Osteoarticular/história , Adulto , Argentina/epidemiologia , Osso e Ossos/microbiologia , DNA Bacteriano/análise , História do Século XV , História do Século XVI , História Antiga , História Medieval , Humanos , Incidência , Masculino , Mycobacterium tuberculosis/isolamento & purificação , Tuberculose Osteoarticular/diagnóstico , Tuberculose Osteoarticular/epidemiologiaRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: We assessed whether Petrus Donders (died 1887), a Dutch priest who for 27 years cared for people with leprosy in the leprosarium Batavia, Suriname, had evidence of Mycobacterium (M.) leprae infection. A positive finding of M. leprae ancient (a)DNA would contribute to the origin of leprosy in Suriname. MATERIALS: Skeletal remains of Father Petrus Donders; two additional skeletons excavated from the Batavia cemetery were used as controls. METHODS: Archival research, paleopathological evaluation and aDNA-based testing of skeletal remains. RESULTS: Neither archives nor inspection of Donders skeletal remains revealed evidence of leprosy, and aDNA-based testing for M. leprae was negative. We detected M. leprae aDNA by RLEP PCR in one control skeleton, which also displayed pathological lesions compatible with leprosy. The M. leprae aDNA was genotyped by Sanger sequencing as SNP type 4; the skeleton displayed mitochondrial haplogroup L3. CONCLUSION: We found no evidence that Donders contracted leprosy despite years of intense leprosy contact, but we successfully isolated an archaeological M. leprae aDNA sample from a control skeleton from South America. SIGNIFICANCE: We successfully genotyped recovered aDNA to a M. leprae strain that likely originated in West Africa. The detected human mitochondrial haplogroup L3 is also associated with this geographical region. This suggests that slave trade contributed to leprosy in Suriname. LIMITATIONS: A limited number of skeletons was examined. SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH: Broader review of skeletal collections is advised to expand on diversity of the M. leprae aDNA database.
Assuntos
Cemitérios/história , DNA Bacteriano/genética , Genoma Bacteriano/genética , Mycobacterium leprae/patogenicidade , Esqueleto/microbiologia , DNA Bacteriano/história , Genótipo , História do Século XIX , Humanos , Paleopatologia/métodos , SurinameRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: Osteomas are slow-growing benign tumors that can affect the skull, most frequently the parietal and frontal. Temporal bone osteomas are more common in the external acoustic meatus and exceptional in the mastoid region. The rarity of mastoid osteomas is confirmed by the fact that very few cases have been reported in the clinical and paleopathological literature. The aim of this paper is to report a new paleopathological case of mastoid tumor in a Pre-Hispanic adult cranium. MATERIALS: The skull derives from the Chunchuri (today Dupont-1 site) Pre-Hispanic site in Northern Chile (1390 A.D). METHODS: Macroscopical examination and high-resolution tomography were used to assess the cranium. RESULTS: The CT scan revealed a well demarcated lesion suggestive of a mastoid osteoma. CONCLUSIONS: This case adds new evidence regarding the antiquity of primary neoplasms in ancient populations and reinforces the importance of high resolution imaging in paleopathological research. SIGNIFICANCE: Due to the antiquity of the remains this is probably the oldest reported case of mastoid osteoma. LIMITATIONS: The patrimonial nature of the remains did not allow histopathological studies. SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH: Further intensive review of archeological skeletal collections is needed to better understand the epidemiology of neoplastic lesions in past populations.
Assuntos
Osso e Ossos/patologia , Meato Acústico Externo/patologia , Processo Mastoide/patologia , Osteoma/história , Adulto , Chile , Feminino , História Medieval , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Osteoma/diagnóstico , Osteoma/patologia , Paleopatologia/métodos , Osso Temporal/patologia , Tomografia Computadorizada por Raios XRESUMO
The past two decades have seen a proliferation in bioarchaeological literature on the identification of scurvy, a disease caused by chronic vitamin C deficiency, in ancient human remains. This condition is one of the few nutritional deficiencies that can result in diagnostic osseous lesions. Scurvy is associated with low dietary diversity and its identification in human skeletal remains can provide important contextual information on subsistence strategy, resource allocation, and human-environmental interactions in past populations. A large and robust methodological body of work on the paleopathology of scurvy exists. However, the diagnostic criteria for this disease employed by bioarchaeologists have not always been uniform. Here we draw from previous research on the skeletal manifestations of scurvy in adult and juvenile human skeletal remains and propose a weighted diagnostic system for its identification that takes into account the pathophysiology of the disease, soft tissue anatomy, and clinical research. Using a sample of individuals from the prehistoric Atacama Desert in Northern Chile, we also provide a practical example of how diagnostic value might be assigned to skeletal lesions of the disease that have not been previously described in the literature.
Assuntos
Paleopatologia/métodos , Escorbuto , Adulto , Arqueologia , Osso e Ossos/patologia , Criança , Chile , Diagnóstico Diferencial , Dieta , História Antiga , Humanos , Lactente , Maxila/patologia , Escorbuto/diagnóstico , Escorbuto/história , Escorbuto/patologiaRESUMO
Diverse pathological processes can produce overlapping or even indistinguishable patterns of abnormal bone formation or destruction, representing a fundamental challenge in the understanding of ancient diseases. This paper discusses increasing rigor in differential diagnosis through the paleopathological study of scurvy. First, paleopathology's use of descriptive terminology can strive to more thoroughly incorporate international standards of anatomical terminology. Second, improved observation and description of abnormal skeletal features can help distinguish between anemia or vitamin C deficiency. Third, use of a structured rubric can assist in establishing a more systematic, replicable, and precise decision-making process in differential diagnosis. These issues are illustrated in the study of two new cases of suspected scurvy from northern Peru. From this, it appears possible that ectocranial vascular impressions may further examined as a morphological marker of scurvy in the skeleton. Also, increased paleopathological attention to pellagra is long overdue, especially as it may produce generally comparable lesions to scurvy. This paper reflexively speaks to the process of paleopathological problem solving and the epistemology of our discipline-particularly regarding the ways in which we can continuously improve description and the construction of diagnostic arguments.
Assuntos
Osso e Ossos/patologia , Paleopatologia/métodos , Escorbuto/história , Escorbuto/patologia , Fatores Etários , Anemia/história , Anemia/patologia , Deficiência de Ácido Ascórbico/história , Deficiência de Ácido Ascórbico/patologia , Remodelação Óssea , Osso e Ossos/fisiopatologia , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Diagnóstico Diferencial , História Antiga , Humanos , Peru , Porosidade , Valor Preditivo dos Testes , Reprodutibilidade dos Testes , Escorbuto/fisiopatologiaRESUMO
The review article presents some of the history of how paleoparasitology started in Brazil, making highlight the great responsible Dr. Luiz Fernando Ferreira and Dr. Adauto Araújo, the trajectory of paleoparasitology in Brazil since 1978 and its performance in science to the present day. In sequence, it is made a presentation of parasitological findings on human remains found in archaeological sites in South America, highlighting Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and Peru, where major discoveries have occurred. Many of the parasites found in archaeological material and mentioned in this review went out of Africa with the peopling of Europe and from there they dispersed around the world, where climatic conditions allow the transmission. However, humans have acquired other parasites of animals, since humans invaded new habitats or creating new habits adopting new technologies, thus expanding its range of influence on the environment. Thus, this review article is finalized with information that explain the importance of these findings in the interaction between parasites, human host, and ambient.
Assuntos
Restos Mortais/parasitologia , Helmintos/classificação , Helmintos/isolamento & purificação , Paleopatologia/métodos , Doenças Parasitárias/epidemiologia , Animais , História do Século XV , História do Século XVI , História do Século XVII , História do Século XVIII , História do Século XIX , História do Século XX , História Antiga , História Medieval , Humanos , Paleopatologia/história , Doenças Parasitárias/história , Parasitologia/história , Parasitologia/métodos , América do Sul/epidemiologiaRESUMO
Paleopathologists have begun exploring the pathoecology of parasitic diseases in relation to diet and environment. We are summarizing the parasitological findings from a mummy in the site of Lapa do Boquete, a Brazilian cave in the state of Minas Gerais. These findings in context of the archaeology of the site provided insights into the pathoecology of disease transmission in cave and rockshelter environments. We are presenting a description of the site followed by the evidence of hookworm, intestinal fluke, and Trypanosoma infection with resulting Chagas disease in the mummy discovered in the cave. These findings are used to reconstruct the transmission ecology of the site.