Suspected endemic syphilis (treponarid) in sixteenth-century Norway

Anderson, T.; Arcini, Caroline; Anda, Svein; Tangerud, Åse; Robertsen, Gunvor

doi:10.1017/s0025727300045749

Cited by 18 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…The osseotype characteristics of syphilis are absent in specimens from pre-Columbian Europe, Africa, and Asia [61,[91][92][93]. With regard to North and South America, these characteristics have been identified in North America as far back as 8000 years ago in sites as disparate as Windover, Florida; Frontenac Island, New York; Libben, Ohio; and Amaknak, Alaska [19,92].…”

Section: Origin Of Syphilismentioning

confidence: 99%

History of Syphilis

Rothschild

2005

Clinical Infectious Diseases

137

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Evidence-based research now allows clear separation of syphilis from other diseases in its class of treponematoses. Examination of skeletons from populations with clinically diagnosed bejel and yaws revealed bone alterations distinctive to those diseases, clearly separating them from alterations due to syphilis, transcending the limitations of current DNA and immunologic technologies. These insights allowed confident identification of the New World origin of syphilis. Absence of skeletal evidence of any treponemal disease in continental Europe before the time of Columbus excludes it as site of origin of syphilis. Treponemal disease appears to have originated in East Africa with late transmission to England, perhaps as a complication of the slave trade. The original treponemal disease apparently spread from Africa through Asia, entering North America. Approximately 8 millennia later, it mutated to syphilis. Presence of skeletal evidence of syphilis at the site in the Dominican Republic where Columbus landed suggests the route by which it was transmitted to the Old World.

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Section: Origin Of Syphilismentioning

confidence: 99%

History of Syphilis

Rothschild

2005

Clinical Infectious Diseases

137

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“…Considerable overlap in lesion type, distribution, and frequency between the variants has been reported for modern human populations in the biomedical literature (Ortner, 2003). Some researchers argue that the variants are merely very difficult to distinguish in dry bone (Steinbock, 1976; Anderson et al, 1986). Potential differences in the types of treponemal lesions, their distribution across the skeleton, and the frequency with which they occur in the three variants have been reported (e.g., Steinbock, 1976; Zimmerman and Kelley, 1982).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The origin and antiquity of syphilis revisited: An Appraisal of Old World pre‐Columbian evidence for treponemal infection

Harper

Zuckerman

Harper

et al. 2011

American J Phys Anthropol

156

138

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For nearly 500 years, scholars have argued about the origin and antiquity of syphilis. Did Columbus bring the disease from the New World to the Old World? Or did syphilis exist in the Old World before 1493? Here, we evaluate all 54 published reports of pre‐Columbian, Old World treponemal disease using a standardized, systematic approach. The certainty of diagnosis and dating of each case is considered, and novel information pertinent to the dating of these cases, including radiocarbon dates, is presented. Among the reports, we did not find a single case of Old World treponemal disease that has both a certain diagnosis and a secure pre‐Columbian date. We also demonstrate that many of the reports use nonspecific indicators to diagnose treponemal disease, do not provide adequate information about the methods used to date specimens, and do not include high‐quality photographs of the lesions of interest. Thus, despite an increasing number of published reports of pre‐Columbian treponemal infection, it appears that solid evidence supporting an Old World origin for the disease remains absent. Yrbk Phys Anthropol 54:99–133, 2011. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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“…Could venereal syphilis (T. pallidum pallidum) have been mistaken for endemic syphilis (T. pallidum endemicum) by contemporary pathologists? Paleopathological and clinical cases suggestive of endemic syphilis in Central and Northern Europe do exist [3,27,73]. Nonetheless, Spigelman et al [74] claim that negative attempts to detect treponemal aDNA may be due to genetic change in the bacteria itself.…”

Section: Adna Detectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ancient pathogens in museal dry bone specimens: analysis of paleocytology and aDNA

Gaul

Winter²,

Grossschmidt

2015

Wien Med Wochenschr

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Bone samples investigated in this study derive from the pathologic-anatomical collection of the Natural History Museum of Vienna. In order to explore the survival of treponemes and treponemal ancient DNA in museal dry bone specimens, we analyzed three individuals known to have been infected with Treponema pallidum pallidum. No reproducible evidence of surviving pathogen's ancient DNA (aDNA) was obtained, despite the highly sensitive extraction and amplification techniques (TPP15 and arp). Additionally, decalcification fluid of bone sections was smear stained with May-Gruenwald-Giemsa. The slides were examined using direct light microscope and dark field illumination. Remnants of spirochetal structures were detectable in every smear. Our results demonstrate that aDNA is unlikely to survive, but spirochetal remains are stainable and thus detectable.

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Suspected endemic syphilis (treponarid) in sixteenth-century Norway

Cited by 18 publications

References 3 publications

History of Syphilis

History of Syphilis

The origin and antiquity of syphilis revisited: An Appraisal of Old World pre‐Columbian evidence for treponemal infection

Ancient pathogens in museal dry bone specimens: analysis of paleocytology and aDNA

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