Old World tuberculosis: Evidence from human remains with a review of current research and future prospects

Abstract

. (2015) 'Old World tuberculosis : evidence from human remains with a review of current research and future prospects.', Tuberculosis., 95 (Supplement 1). S117-S121.Further information on publisher's website: Use policyThe full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-pro t purposes provided that:• a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.Please consult the full DRO policy for further details. aDNA analysis has provided data on species and strains of the M. tuberculosis complex organisms affecting people in the past. The extant data suggest the first epidemiological transition (Neolithic agriculture and permanent settlements) led to an increase in TB, with later increases in urban environments of the late Medieval period. A number of causative factors were at play. Future research, particularly using biomolecular analysis, has the potential to further contribute to our understanding of the origin and evolution of TB, thus merging the disciplines of palaeopathology and evolutionary medicine.

A 6500-year-old Middle Neolithic child from Pollera Cave (Liguria, Italy) with probable multifocal osteoarticular tuberculosis

“…Buikstra, 1981;Klaus et al, 2010;Roberts, 2015). In the Neolithic Old World, skeletons with the infection have been reported in the Near East and North Africa (Ortner, 1979(Ortner, , 1999Strouhal, 1987;El-Najjar et al, 1997;Crubézy et al, 1998;Zias, 1998;Dabernat and Crubézy, 2010), with the potential Israeli evidence dating back to the eighth millennium BC (Hershkovitz et al, 2008).…”

Revisiting the tuberculosis and leprosy cross-immunity hypothesis: Expanding the dialogue between immunology and paleopathology

“…In the case of TL, where an extensive cell mediated immune response is present, many skeletons may not show any bone changes (Roberts 2011). Clearly, a skeleton without signs of infection could have experienced the infection but died before developing bone lesions; this suggests that skeletal remains with signs of TB or leprosy infection indicate that these people must have had a long lasting chronic infection (Roberts 2015). Here, we must consider different risk factors such as living conditions and diet that may affect the extent of skeletal involvement in both diseases (Dixon and Roberts 2001;Roberts 2015), and where the immune competence of an individual will also influence whether skeletal lesions will occur (Roberts 2015).…”

“…Perhaps also the number of people who experienced TB in the past has been significantly underestimated (probably more than leprosy) because a skeleton with no bone changes of TB (or leprosy) could have experienced the infection but died before expressing any skeletal marker for the disease (Roberts 2015;Wood et al 1992). Interestingly, it was proposed that impaired cellular immunity could have led to a re-activation of an underlying latent TB infection, or to superinfection with M. tuberculosis, and to a speedier death.…”

Analysis of fine particulates from fuel burning in a reconstructed building at Neolithic Çatalhöyük, Turkey and implications for respiratory health in early settled communities

“…Studies of health in the archaeological record are typically focused on the analysis of human skeletal remains. There are several indicators of respiratory disease that can be detected in the osteoarchaeological record, for example inflammation of the maxillary sinuses, and lesions on the visceral surfaces of ribs, which can be linked to diseases such as tuberculosis, chronic bronchitis, pneumonia and cancer (Roberts 2015, Roberts 2007, Binder and Roberts 2014, Davies-Barrett et al 2019. Whilst there are some examples of Neolithic populations with skeletal indicators of respiratory disease (Sparacello et al 2016, Sparacello et al 2017, respiratory diseases do not always leave such traces on bone.…”