Palaeopathology: The Study of Disease in the Past

Fernández, Pedro

doi:10.1159/000335165

Cited by 8 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 85 publications

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“…A particularly interesting sector within this field is the study of ancient microorganisms, bacteria, filamentous fungi, yeast, algae, protozoans, and viruses. The analyses of ancient microorganisms DNA in ancient human remains are contributing to the understanding of various issues such as the spread of diseases (Zink et al ., , ; Fernandez, ), the mummification processes (Rollo et al ., ), and the effect of diet and hygiene conditions on historical human populations (Cano et al ., ). Nevertheless, this study is not focused on ancient microorganisms, but on those opportunistic microorganisms able to colonize and deteriorate the preservation of ancient bodies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbial survey of the mummies from the Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo, Italy: biodeterioration risk and contamination of the indoor air

Piñar

Piombino‐Mascali

Maixner

et al. 2013

FEMS Microbiology Ecology

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The Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo contain over 1800 preserved bodies dating from the 16th to 20th centuries AD and showing evidence of biodeterioration. An extensive microbiological and molecular investigation was recently performed. Samples were taken from skin, muscle, hair, bone, stuffing materials, clothes, and surrounding walls as well as from the indoor air. In this study, we witnessed that the different degradation phenomena observed on the variety of materials located at the Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo are biological in origin. Molecular techniques showed the dominance of halophilic species of the domains Bacteria and Archaea on the walls and – as a result of salt emanating from the walls – on the mummies themselves. Nevertheless, specialized microorganisms belonging to taxa well-known for their cellulolytic and proteolytic activities were detected on clothes and stuffing material, and on skin, muscle, hair, and bone, respectively. This specialized microbiota is threatening the conservation of the mummies themselves. Additionally, sequences related to the human skin microbiome and to some pathogenic Bacteria (order Clostridiales) and fungi (genus Phialosimplex) were identified on samples derived from the mummies. Furthermore, a phosphate-reducing fungus, Penicillium radicum, was detected on bone. Finally, the high concentration of airborne fungal spores is not conducive to the conservation of the human remains and is posing a potential health risk for visitors.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbial survey of the mummies from the Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo, Italy: biodeterioration risk and contamination of the indoor air

Piñar

Piombino‐Mascali

Maixner

et al. 2013

FEMS Microbiology Ecology

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“…Aunque existe abundante literatura en el estudio mé dico de sujetos momificados [8][9][10] , son raros los casos en los que se cuenta con individuos de importancia histó rica o con datos histó ricos fidedignos. En el caso de Españ a, son muy pocos los estudios paleopatoló gicos en sujetos momificados de relevancia histó rica, si bien estos son de gran interé s y destacan los restos de Cristó bal Colon 11 y el Emperador Carlos V 12 .…”

Section: Discusió Nunclassified

Paleoendoscopia: el estudio paleopatológico de la momia de Sancho, hijo del rey Pedro I de Castilla El Cruel (s. xiv)

et al. 2012

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“…Palaeopathology (the scientific study of ancient diseases in skeletonised and mummified human remains) is a key contributor to the field of bioarchaeology, exploring the disease experience of individuals in prehistoric and historic times [1][2][3][4][5]. Initially, palaeopathology focuses on the individual, and its main objective is to determine where and when a disease was present in the past [4][5][6][7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

White plague among the “forgotten people” from the Barbaricum of the Carpathian Basin–Cases with tuberculosis from the Sarmatian-period (3rd–4th centuries CE) archaeological site of Hódmezővásárhely–Kenyere-ér, Bereczki-tanya (Hungary)

Spekker,

Kiss P.,

Kis

et al. 2024

PLoS ONE

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Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial infection that is well-known in the palaeopathological record because it can affect the skeleton and consequently leaves readily identifiable macroscopic alterations. Palaeopathological case studies provide invaluable information about the spatio-temporal distribution of TB in the past. This is true for those archaeological periods and geographical regions from when and where no or very few TB cases have been published until now–as in the Sarmatian period (1st–5th centuries CE) in the Barbaricum of the Carpathian Basin. The aim of our paper is to discuss five newly discovered TB cases (HK199, HK201, HK225, HK253, and HK309) from the Sarmatian-period archaeological site of Hódmezővásárhely–Kenyere-ér, Bereczki-tanya (Csongrád-Csanád county, Hungary). Detailed macromorphological evaluation of the skeletons focused on the detection of bony changes likely associated with different forms of TB. In all five cases, the presence of endocranial alterations (especially TB-specific granular impressions) suggests that these individuals suffered from TB meningitis. Furthermore, the skeletal lesions observed in the spine and both hip joints of HK225 indicate that this juvenile also had multifocal osteoarticular TB. Thanks to the discovery of HK199, HK201, HK225, HK253, and HK309, the number of TB cases known from the Sarmatian-period Carpathian Basin doubled, implying that the disease was likely more frequent in the Barbaricum than previously thought. Without the application of granular impressions, the diagnosis of TB could not have been established in these five cases. Thus, the identification of TB in these individuals highlights the importance of diagnostics development, especially the refinement of diagnostic criteria. Based on the above, the systematic macromorphological (re-)evaluation of osteoarchaeological series from the Sarmatian-period Carpathian Basin would be advantageous to provide a more accurate picture of how TB may have impacted the ancestral human communities of the Barbaricum.

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Palaeopathology: The Study of Disease in the Past

Cited by 8 publications

References 85 publications

Microbial survey of the mummies from the Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo, Italy: biodeterioration risk and contamination of the indoor air

Microbial survey of the mummies from the Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo, Italy: biodeterioration risk and contamination of the indoor air

Paleoendoscopia: el estudio paleopatológico de la momia de Sancho, hijo del rey Pedro I de Castilla El Cruel (s. xiv)

White plague among the “forgotten people” from the Barbaricum of the Carpathian Basin–Cases with tuberculosis from the Sarmatian-period (3rd–4th centuries CE) archaeological site of Hódmezővásárhely–Kenyere-ér, Bereczki-tanya (Hungary)

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