Vitale S. Sparacello
A 6500-year-old Middle Neolithic child from Pollera Cave (Liguria, Italy) with probable multifocal osteoarticular tuberculosis
Sparacello, Vitale S.; Roberts, Charlotte A.; Kerudin, Ammielle; Müller, Romy
Abstract
Clear skeletal evidence of prehistoric tuberculosis (TB) is rare, especially in children. We describe and differentially diagnose the pathological changes displayed by a five-year-old child, Pollera 21 (PO21) dated to the Middle Neolithic of Liguria (Italy), or 5740 ± 30 BP (Beta-409341; 6635–6453 cal BP, 2σ, OxCal 4.2). PO21 shows a number of osteoarticular lesions, mainly of a lytic nature with very little bone proliferation: the vertebral column, the shoulder and pelvic girdles, and the ribcage are involved. Given the nature and pattern of the lesions, we propose a diagnosis of multifocal (or multiple) bone TB. Attempts to detect TB aDNA through molecular analysis gave negative results, but this alone is not sufficient to prove that PO21 was not infected with TB. The lesions observed in PO21 share similarities with other published evidence, such as spinal and joint involvement, and disseminated cyst-like lesions. Conversely, PO21 does not show diffuse bone deposition, such as hypertrophic osteoarthropathy (HOA) or endocranial modifications such as serpens endocrania symmetrica (SES). PO21 adds to our knowledge of patterns of TB manifestation in archaeological skeletal remains, which is especially important considering the variability in types and patterns of osteoarticular lesions seen today in people with TB.
Citation
Sparacello, V. S., Roberts, C. A., Kerudin, A., & Müller, R. (2017). A 6500-year-old Middle Neolithic child from Pollera Cave (Liguria, Italy) with probable multifocal osteoarticular tuberculosis. International Journal of Paleopathology, 17, 67-74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpp.2017.01.004
Journal Article Type | Article |
---|---|
Acceptance Date | Jan 14, 2017 |
Online Publication Date | Feb 4, 2017 |
Publication Date | Jun 1, 2017 |
Deposit Date | Jul 14, 2017 |
Publicly Available Date | Feb 4, 2018 |
Journal | International Journal of Paleopathology |
Print ISSN | 1879-9817 |
Publisher | Elsevier |
Peer Reviewed | Peer Reviewed |
Volume | 17 |
Pages | 67-74 |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpp.2017.01.004 |
Public URL | https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1353244 |
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Copyright Statement
© 2017 This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
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