Human‐Aided Movement of Viral Disease and the Archaeology of Avian Osteopetrosis

Abstract

The term avian osteopetrosis is used to describe alterations to the skeletal elements of several species of domestic bird, most typically the chicken, Gallus gallus domesticus (L. 1758). Such lesions are routinely identified in animal bones from archaeological sites due to their distinctive appearance, which is characterised by proliferative diaphyseal thickening. These lesions are relatively uncomplicated for specialists to differentially diagnose and are caused by a range of avian leucosis viruses in a series of subgroups. Only some avian leucosis viruses cause the development of such characteristic lesions in osteological tissue. Viraemia is necessary for the formation of skeletal pathology, and avian osteopetrosis lesions affect skeletal elements at different rates. Lesion expression differs by the age and sex of the infected individual, and environmental conditions have an impact on the prevalence of avian leucosis viruses in poultry flocks. These factors have implications for the ways in which diagnosed instances of avian osteopetrosis in archaeological assemblages are interpreted. By integrating veterinary research with archaeological evidence for the presence of avian leucosis viruses across Western Europe, this paper discusses the nature of these pathogens, outlines criteria for differential diagnosis, and offers a fresh perspective on the human‐aided movement of animal disease in the past through investigation of the incidence and geographic distribution of avian osteopetrosis lesions from the first century BC to the post‐medieval period. © 2017 The Authors International Journal of Osteoarchaeology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Bird remains from Vilnius Lower Castle, Lithuania (13th–19th centuries) reveal changes in social status and unusual bird pathologies

“…Another case-a humerus from the 16th to early 17th century-also shows similar symptoms as the tibiotarsus, but it is unclear if it is a case of osteopetrosis (Figure 5). Tibiotarsus and humerus are the two skeletal elements most often affected by this disease, as those elements are among the first to show the symptoms (Fothergill, 2017). In addition, those elements are large, they preserve well in sediment, and are easily identifiable, which explains why osteopetrosis is more frequently observed in tibiotarsus and humerus in the archaeological record (Fothergill, 2017).…”

Estimating the age of domestic fowl (Gallus gallus domesticusL. 1758) cockerels through spur development

“…As with many other avian species (e.g., Nelson & Bookhout, 1980;Broughton et al, 2002), the number of circumferential cell layers (growth rings) present in domestic fowl bones shows no correlation with age (van Neer et al, 2002). Pathologies typically associated with senescence such as enthesophytes and degenerative joint disease may provide an indication of advanced age (Serjeantson & Morris, 2011), but their occurrence may be attributable to nutritional factors, dysplasia or pathogens (Fothergill, 2017;Fothergill et al, 2017;Sokoloff, 1959). There is, therefore, a need for osteological aging methods that allow routine assessment of bird age after the cessation of growth.…”