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Zink A, Maixner F, Jäger HY, Szikossy I, Pálfi G, Pap I. Tuberculosis in mummies - New findings, perspectives and limitations. Tuberculosis (Edinb) 2023; 143S:102371. [PMID: 38012931 DOI: 10.1016/j.tube.2023.102371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Revised: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
The molecular analysis of ancient pathogen DNA represents a unique opportunity for the study of infectious diseases in ancient human remains. Among other diseases, paleogenetic studies have been successful in detecting tuberculous DNA in ancient human remains. In the beginning of ancient DNA (aDNA) studies, the presence of tuberculosis (TB) DNA was assessed using a PCR-based assay targeting specific regions of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) complex, such as the repetitive element IS6110. The advent of high-throughput sequencing has enabled the reconstruction of full ancient TB genomes in the field of paleomicrobiology. However, despite the numerous paleopathological and PCR-based studies on the presence of tuberculosis in historic human remains, full genome wide reconstructions are still limited to well-preserved specimens with low environmental contamination and connected with extensive screening efforts. This has led to some controversies regarding the evolutionary history of its causative agent Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In this context, mummies have been shown to be a good source for the detection of MTB complex DNA due to a low exposure to environmental influences and the overall good state of preservation of hard and soft tissues in the human remains. Here, we present the major findings on the presence of TB infections in the 18th century naturally mummified human remains from Vác, Hungary and the current status of the detection of MTB complex DNA in mummified human remains. The future perspectives of detecting tuberculosis in mummies will be discussed in the light of methodological aspects, as well as ethical and curational challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albert Zink
- Institute for Mummy Studies, Eurac Research, Bolzano, Italy.
| | - Frank Maixner
- Institute for Mummy Studies, Eurac Research, Bolzano, Italy
| | | | - Ildikó Szikossy
- Department of Anthropology, Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest, Hungary
| | - György Pálfi
- Department of Biological Anthropology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Ildikó Pap
- Department of Anthropology, Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest, Hungary; Department of Biological Anthropology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary; Department of Biological Anthropology, Institute of Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
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He L, Gibbon VE, Xiao X, Wang B, Li H. Metastatic cancer along ancient Silk Road: A possible case from Xinjiang (China). INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PALEOPATHOLOGY 2022; 37:23-29. [PMID: 35366493 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2022.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Revised: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Palaeopathological evidence of cancer, especially metastatic cancer, is rare in China. This paper describes and diagnoses a cranium with multiple lytic lesions recovered from the Sampula cemetery in Xinjiang, attempting to diagnose the type of disease that could have caused the pathological lesions observed. MATERIAL A cranium from an adult male (#00106) was recovered from the Sampula cemetery (dated to 55 BCE to 335 CE) located in the Luopu County, the Hotan River oasis on the southern edge of the Tarim Basin in southern Xinjiang. METHODS The cranium was assessed macroscopically and radiographically (CT). RESULTS Multiple osteolytic lesions with irregular and "moth-eaten" margins were detected in cranium #00106. CT scans revealed the development of the lesions began at the diploe and identified a "button sequestrum". CONCLUSIONS Based on lesion characteristics, metastatic carcinoma was likely the cause of lesions found in cranium #00106. SIGNIFICANCE This case has expanded our knowledge of the malignant neoplasms of ancient populations in northwest China and discusses the possible risk factors in the occurrence of cancer in the Sampula site, as well as the possible impacts of skeletal metastases on the individual. LIMITATIONS The distribution of osteolytic lesions over the complete skeleton cannot be observed because of the unavailability of postcranial bone. SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH With the increasing number of reports describing diseases in ancient China, the patterns of diseases occurrence and development can be further explored from spatial and temporal perspectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Letian He
- School of History and Culture, Department of Archaeology and Museology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China.
| | - Victoria E Gibbon
- Division of Clinical Anatomy & Biological Anthropology, Department of Human Biology, University of Cape Town, Observatory 7935, South Africa
| | - Xiaoyong Xiao
- School of Ethnology and Sociology, Minzu University of China, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Bo Wang
- Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Museum, Urumqi 830000, China
| | - Haijun Li
- School of Ethnology and Sociology, Minzu University of China, Beijing 100081, China.
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Rothschild BM, Tanke D, Rühli F, Pokhojaev A, May H. Suggested Case of Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis in a Cretaceous dinosaur. Sci Rep 2020; 10:2203. [PMID: 32042034 PMCID: PMC7010826 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-59192-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2019] [Accepted: 01/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Susceptibility to diseases is common to humans and dinosaurs. Since much of the biological history of every living creature is shaped by its diseases, recognizing them in fossilized bone can furnish us with important information on dinosaurs' physiology and anatomy, as well as on their daily activities and surrounding environment. In the present study, we examined the vertebrae of two humans from skeletal collections with Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis (LCH), a benign osteolytic tumor-like disorder involving mainly the skeleton; they were diagnosed in life, along with two hadrosaur vertebrae with an apparent lesion. Macroscopic and microscopic analyses of the hadrosaur vertebrae were compared to human LCH and to other pathologies observed via an extensive pathological survey of a human skeletal collection, as well as a three-dimensional reconstruction of the lesion and its associated blood vessels from a µCT scan. The hadrosaur pathology findings were indistinguishable from those of humans with LCH, supporting that diagnosis. This report suggests that hadrosaurids had suffered from larger variety of pathologies than previously reported. Furthermore, it seems that LCH may be independent of phylogeny.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruce M Rothschild
- Indiana University, 2401W. University Ave., Muncie, IN, 47303, USA.
- Carnegie Museum, 4400 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA, 44272, USA.
| | - Darren Tanke
- Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, 1500 N. Dinosaur Trail, Drumheller, AB, T0J 0Y0, Canada
| | - Frank Rühli
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ariel Pokhojaev
- Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Dan David Center for Human Evolution and Biohistory Research, Shmunis Family Anthropology Institute, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Hila May
- Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Dan David Center for Human Evolution and Biohistory Research, Shmunis Family Anthropology Institute, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
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Abegg C, Desideri J. A probable case of multiple myeloma in a female individual from the Simon Identified Skeletal Collection (late 19th-early 20th century, Vaud, Switzerland). INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PALEOPATHOLOGY 2018; 21:158-165. [PMID: 29776886 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2017.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2016] [Revised: 02/02/2017] [Accepted: 02/04/2017] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
We present the case of an individual from the Simon Identified Skeletal Collection (Vaud, Switzerland) who appears to have been affected by a form of neoplastic disease. A detailed description and differential diagnosis of the lesions was conducted and is presented here. Considering the biological profile of the individual, the distribution of the lesions, and their appearance, a case is made for multiple myeloma as the most likely diagnosis. This case study demonstrates the importance of adopting a detailed approach for recording the metric and non-metric traits of lesions, using multiple methods of analysis, and providing graphic and photographic documentation in order to provide valuable comparison material through publication. The good preservation of the remains and the background information available for the individual also make this case ideal for inclusion in future comparative studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudine Abegg
- Section of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Department F.-A. Forel for Environmental and Aquatic Sciences, Laboratory of Prehistoric Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Geneva, Switzerland.
| | - Jocelyne Desideri
- Section of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Department F.-A. Forel for Environmental and Aquatic Sciences, Laboratory of Prehistoric Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Geneva, Switzerland.
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Positive Diagnosis of Ancient Leprosy and Tuberculosis Using Ancient DNA and Lipid Biomarkers. DIVERSITY-BASEL 2017. [DOI: 10.3390/d9040046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
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Abstract
Tuberculosis is a significant global disease today, so understanding its origins and history is important. It is primarily a lung infection and is transmitted by infectious aerosols from person to person, so a high population density encourages its spread. The causative organism is Mycobacterium tuberculosis, an obligate pathogen in the M. tuberculosis complex that also contains closely related species, such as Mycobacterium bovis, that primarily infect animals. Typical bone lesions occur in about 5% of untreated infections. These can be recognized in historical and archaeological material, along with nonspecific paleopathology such as new bone formation (periostitis), especially on ribs. Based on such lesions, tuberculosis has been found in ancient Egypt, pre-Columbian America, and Neolithic Europe. The detection of M. tuberculosis ancient DNA (aDNA) by using PCR led to the development of the new field of paleomicrobiology. As a result, a large number of tuberculosis cases were recognized in mummified tissue and bones with nonspecific or no lesions. In parallel with these developments, M. tuberculosis cell wall lipid biomarkers have detected tuberculosis suggested by paleopathology and confirmed aDNA findings. In well-preserved cases, molecular typing has identified M. tuberculosis lineages and genotypes. The current interest in targeted enrichment, shotgun sequencing, and metagenomic analysis reveals ancient mixed infections with different M. tuberculosis strains and other pathogens. Identification of M. tuberculosis lineages from samples of known age enables the date of the emergence of strains and lineages to be calculated directly rather than by making assumptions on the rate of evolutionary change.
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Donoghue HD. Insights gained from ancient biomolecules into past and present tuberculosis—a personal perspective. Int J Infect Dis 2017; 56:176-180. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2016.11.413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2016] [Revised: 11/17/2016] [Accepted: 11/20/2016] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
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Colombo A, Saint-Pierre C, Naji S, Panuel M, Coqueugniot H, Dutour O. Langerhans cell histiocytosis or tuberculosis on a medieval child (Oppidum de la Granède, Millau, France – 10th–11th centuries AD). Tuberculosis (Edinb) 2015; 95 Suppl 1:S42-50. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tube.2015.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Sneha LM, Karmegaraj B, Ravindran M, Srikiran S, Sai V, Scott JX. All that seems to be miliary mottling is not always due to tuberculosis: A case report. Trop Doct 2015; 46:48-50. [PMID: 25914410 DOI: 10.1177/0049475515582326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Latha Magatha Sneha
- Senior Resident, Department of Paediatrics, Sri Ramachandra University, Chennai, India
| | - Balaganesh Karmegaraj
- Junior Resident, Department of Paediatrics, Rajah Muthiah Medical College & Hospital, Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India
| | | | | | - Venkata Sai
- Head of Department, Department of Radiology & Imaging Sciences, Sri Ramachandra University, Chennai, India
| | - Julius Xavier Scott
- Professor, Department of Paediatrics, Sri Ramachandra University, Chennai, India
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Evinger S, Bernert Z, Fóthi E, Wolff K, Kovári I, Marcsik A, Donoghue HD, O'Grady J, Kiss KK, Hajdu T. New skeletal tuberculosis cases in past populations from Western Hungary (Transdanubia). HOMO-JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE HUMAN BIOLOGY 2011; 62:165-83. [PMID: 21530965 DOI: 10.1016/j.jchb.2011.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2010] [Accepted: 03/10/2011] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The distribution, antiquity and epidemiology of tuberculosis (TB) have previously been studied in osteoarchaeological material in the eastern part of Hungary, mainly on the Great Plain. The purpose of this study is to map the occurrence of skeletal TB in different centuries in the western part of Hungary, Transdanubia, and to present new cases we have found. Palaeopathological analysis was carried out using macroscopic observation supported by radiographic and molecular methods. A large human osteoarchaeological sample (n=5684) from Transdanubian archaeological sites ranging from the 2nd to the 18th centuries served as a source of material. Spinal TB was observed in seven individuals (in three specimens with Pott's disease two of which also had cold abscess) and hip TB was assumed in one case. The results of DNA for Mycobacterium tuberculosis were positive in seven of the eight cases identified by paleopathology, and negative in the assumed case of hip TB. However, the molecular results are consistent with highly fragmented DNA, which limited further analysis. Based on the present study and previously published cases, osteotuberculosis was found in Transdanubia mainly during the 9th-13th centuries. However, there are no signs of TB in many other 9th-13th century sites, even in those that lie geographically close to those where osteotuberculous cases were found. This may be due to a true absence of TB caused by the different living conditions, way of life, or origin of these populations. An alternative explanation is that TB was present in some individuals with no typical paleopathology, but that death occurred before skeletal morphological features could develop.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Evinger
- Department of Anthropology, Hungarian Natural History Museum, Ludovika Square, Budapest, Hungary.
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Sharma P, Dhingra KK, Sural S, Mandal AK, Singh T. Langerhans cell histiocytosis masquerading as tuberculosis: a diagnostic dilemma resulting in inappropriate anti-tubercular therapy. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2009; 53:111-3. [PMID: 19148950 DOI: 10.1002/pbc.21930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Langerhans cell histiocytosis is known to mimic many other conditions. We present two patients where anti-tubercular therapy was instituted when clinical and radiological features suggested tuberculosis. The correct diagnosis of histiocytosis was reached only on further work-up including immunohistochemistry following un-responsiveness to treatment. In retrospect it was felt that an inordinately high index of suspicion for tuberculosis, clinical and radiological overlap between the two entities, an urgency to start empirical therapy in a rapidly deteriorating patient and pathological similarities between epithelioid histiocytes and pathologic Langerhans cells led to the diagnostic and therapeutic errors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prashant Sharma
- Department of Pathology, Maulana Azad Medical College, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi, India.
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Abstract
Mummies are human remains with preservation of nonbony tissue. Mummification by natural influences results in so-called natural mummies, whereas mummification induced by active (human) intervention results in so-called artificial mummies, although many cultures practiced burial rites, which to some degree involved both natural and artificial mummification. Since they are so uniquely well-preserved, mummies may give many insights into mortuary practices and burial rites. Specifically, the presence of soft tissues may expand the scope of paleopathological studies. Many recent mummy studies focus on the development and application of nondestructive methods for examining mummies, including radiography, CT-scanning with advanced three-dimensional visualizations, and endoscopic techniques, as well as minimally-destructive chemical, physical, and biological methods for, e.g., stable isotopes, trace metals, and DNA. This article discusses mummification and gives a presentation of various key mummy finds and a brief history of mummy studies. A description of the extant key technologies of natural and medical science that are applied in mummy studies is given; along with a discussion of some of the major results in terms of paleopathology. It is also shown how mummy studies have contributed much to the knowledge of the cultural habits and everyday life of past populations. Finally the impact of mummy studies on analyses of mortuary practices and cultural history is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niels Lynnerup
- Laboratory of Biological Anthropology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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