An Early Holocene case of congenital syphilis in South America

Abstract

Over millennia, treponematoses have been present in the American continent. The search for the oldest case and the description of the pathological characteristics are fundamental to understanding the evolutionary history of treponemal diseases, as well as the evolution of the humans who contracted them. A child with a minimum age of 9400 years before present exhumed at “Lapa do Santo” cave, Brazil, presents characteristic lesions of congenital syphilis. This well‐preserved skeleton with dental and bone pathological evidence is the oldest syphilitic case of America and reinforces the presence of syphilis, at least 10,000 years ago, in the continent.

Technical note: The use and misuse of threshold diagnostic criteria in paleopathology

“…A case study presented by Oliveira et al (2022) is a recent example highlighting some of the pitfalls surrounding documentation of cases of lower diagnostic strength (possible cases) as support for new temporal or spatial boundaries of diseases in antiquity. The authors report congenital syphilis from 9400BP in South America.…”

“…in regions where probable cases already exist to discuss the extent of the disease in the region. A threshold approach does contribute transparent criteria within which a more productive discussion may be held.A case study presented byOliveira et al (2022) is a recent example highlighting some of the pitfalls surrounding documentation of cases of lower diagnostic strength (possible cases) as support for new temporal or spatial boundaries of diseases in antiquity. The authors by bothHarper et al (2011) andVlok et al (2020).…”

The The responsibility and importance of clinical registration: a case of congenital syphilis in Early Holocene as an example

“…At that time we began our investigation of the oldest case of congenital syphilis (and venereal disease, consequently) to date, and we finished this process with an article "An Early Holocene Case of Congenital Syphilis in South America." (2) My dentistry formation enabled me to quickly identify many dental alterations. However, this skill was a mixture of knowledge in basic disciplines of the health careers (medicine, dentistry, etc.…”