Mycobacterium leprae DNA from ancient bone detected by PCR

Rafi, Ali; Spigelman, Mark; Stanford, Joseph; Lemma, Eshetu; Donoghue, Helen D.; Zias, Joe

doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(94)92494-5

Cited by 68 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…The fixation and embedding of soft tissues are relatively modern practices, although molecularbased analysis of such samples has allowed confirmation of the identity of the 1918 ''Spanish'' influenza virus (22) and of the Bacillus anthracis 1979 Sverdlovsk outbreak (23). Mycobacterial DNA has been recovered from medieval tuberculous bones (24,25) and 600 A.D. lepromatous bones (26), but because buried bones are contaminated by their environment and require decalcification before DNA extraction (27), their diagnostic use may be restricted to rare diseases that appear as osseous lesions. The exploitation of dental pulp offers a practical alternative, allowing the recovery of DNA from a naturally enclosed cavity without the necessity of decalcification.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Detection of 400-year-old Yersinia pestis DNA in human dental pulp: An approach to the diagnosis of ancient septicemia

Drancourt

Aboudharam

Signoli

et al. 1998

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

313

253

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Ancient septicemic plague epidemics were reported to have killed millions of people for 2 millenniums. However, confident diagnosis of ancient septicemia solely on the basis of historical clinical observations is not possible. The lack of suitable infected material has prevented direct demonstration of ancient septicemia; thus, the history of most infections such as plague remains hypothetical. The durability of dental pulp, together with its natural sterility, makes it a suitable material on which to base such research. We hypothesized that it would be a lasting refuge for Yersinia pestis, the plague agent. DNA extracts were made from the dental pulp of 12 unerupted teeth extracted from skeletons excavated from 16th and 18th century French graves of persons thought to have died of plague (''plague teeth'') and from 7 ancient negative control teeth. PCRs incorporating ancient DNA extracts and primers specific for the human ␤-globin gene demonstrated the absence of inhibitors in these preparations. The incorporation of primers specific for Y. pestis rpoB (the RNA polymerase ␤-subunit-encoding gene) and the recognized virulence-associated pla (the plasminogen activatorencoding gene) repeatedly yielded products that had a nucleotide sequence indistinguishable from that of modern day isolates of the bacterium. The specific pla sequence was obtained from 6 of 12 plague skeleton teeth but 0 of 7 negative controls (P < 0.034, Fisher exact test). A nucleic acid-based confirmation of ancient plague was achieved for historically identified victims, and we have confirmed the presence of the disease at the end of 16th century in France. Dental pulp is an attractive target in the quest to determine the etiology of septicemic illnesses detected in ancient corpses. Molecular techniques could be applied to this material to resolve historical outbreaks.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Detection of 400-year-old Yersinia pestis DNA in human dental pulp: An approach to the diagnosis of ancient septicemia

Drancourt

Aboudharam

Signoli

et al. 1998

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

313

253

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“…DNA is sufficiently stable that it can be amplified by PCR for long periods after bacteria are no longer viable (7,25). As examples, PCR can be used to detect DNA in cells from mummies (31), Yersinia pestis DNA was found in 500-year-old human dental pulp (37), and mycobacterial DNA was detected in ancient human corpses that had macroscopic signs of tuberculosis (43) and leprosy (36). In a recent study, the presence of histological signs of infective endocarditis (IE) correlated with the presence of bacterial DNA in heart valve tissue, and when patients had no histological evidence of IE, PCR amplification was always negative (10).…”

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confidence: 99%

PCR Detection of Bacteria on Cardiac Valves of Patients with Treated Bacterial Endocarditis

et al. 2005

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We used broad-range PCR amplification and sequencing to detect and identify bacterial DNA in 156 valves of patients treated for infective endocarditis (IE). Bacterial DNA was found more frequently in patients who underwent valve replacement while on antibiotic treatment for IE (60%) than in patients who had completed antibiotic treatment for IE (37%; P ‫؍‬ 0.02). We found specific bacterial DNA in valves removed from 11 of 30 patients who had completed antibiotic treatment for IE. Six had no histological evidence of IE. The presence of DNA was significantly correlated with the presence of histologic lesions (P ‫؍‬ 0.001) and with the presence of bacteria detected by Gram staining (P < 0.001). Bartonella and streptococci were detected for much longer after antibiotic treatment by PCR than other species (P ‫؍‬ 0.047 and 0.04, respectively), and coagulase-negative staphylococci were detected for much shorter periods (P ‫؍‬ 0.02). The finding that bacterial DNA was more likely to be detected in valves of patients with active IE than in patients who had completed antibiotic treatment for IE shows that bacterial DNA is cleared slowly. There was no significant correlation between the duration of antibiotic therapy and the presence of bacterial DNA in valves. Since the persistence of bacterial DNA in valves does not necessarily indicate the persistence of viable bacteria, the detection of bacterial DNA in valves from IE patients should be interpreted with caution, in particular in those patients with a past history of treated IE.

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“…Several recent reports describe the isolation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in ancient human skeletal remains and soft tissue remains (1,2,6,8,(10)(11)(12). We used PCR analysis of genital tissue samples from 12 ancient mummies from South America in order to detect the presence of mycobacteria in this population.…”

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confidence: 99%

Detection of Mycobacterial DNA in Andean Mummies

et al. 2002

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The identification of genetic material from pathogenic organisms in ancient tissues provides a powerful tool for the study of certain infectious diseases in historic populations. We have obtained tissue samples from the genital areas of 12 mummies in the American Museum of Natural History collection in New York, N.Y. The mummies were excavated in the Andes Mountain region of South America, and radiocarbon dating estimates that the mummies date from A.D. 140 to 1200. DNAs were successfully extracted from all tissues and were suitable for PCR analysis. PCRs were carried out to detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex and mycobacteria other than M. tuberculosis (MOTB). M. tuberculosis complex was detected in 2 out of 12 samples, and MOTB were detected in 7 samples. This study confirmed the adequate preservation of genetic material in mummified tissues and the existence of mycobacteria, including M. tuberculosis, in historic populations in South America.

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Mycobacterium leprae DNA from ancient bone detected by PCR

Cited by 68 publications

References 3 publications

Detection of 400-year-old Yersinia pestis DNA in human dental pulp: An approach to the diagnosis of ancient septicemia

Detection of 400-year-old Yersinia pestis DNA in human dental pulp: An approach to the diagnosis of ancient septicemia

PCR Detection of Bacteria on Cardiac Valves of Patients with Treated Bacterial Endocarditis

Detection of Mycobacterial DNA in Andean Mummies

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