Pre-Columbian Tuberculosis in Northwest Argentina: Skeletal Evidence from Rincón Chico 21 Cemetery

Abstract

Systematic excavation of collective burial sites makes possible the recovery of skeletal series which may show bony evidence of infectious pathological conditions. This paper presents the first evidence of the existence of tuberculosis in prehistoric populations of NW Argentina with a subsistence economy based on agriculture and pastoralism. The study was carried out on individuals from Rincón Chico 21 cemetery, a burial site located in the Santa María Valley, Catamarca, used between the Late Ceramic Period and the onset of the Inca empire expansion (AD 1000-1400). Six individuals out of the 70 so far excavated showed destructive lesions in the vertebral bodies and periosteal reactions in other bones. The morphology and distribution of bone lesions led us to rule out several diseases from a broad spectrum of possible diseases that could have affected the skeletal system. Thus, the lesions were interpreted as caused by mycobacterial infections (Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex). Considering previous studies on the dynamics of biocultural interactions which take into account information related from contextual associations and chronology, we can conclude that a tuberculosis-like disease was present in prehistoric populations from NW Argentina.

Contribution of paleopathology to the knowledge of the origin and spread of tuberculosis: evidence from Portugal

“…So far, the earliest primary evidence of TB comes from mummified individuals found in the Atacama Desert (acid-fast bacilli identified in the lungs and in the healed Ghon's complex) dating from the first millennium CE (Allison et al, 1981in Mackowiak et al, 2005. Other skeletal evidence of TB has been found (see Roberts and Buikstra, 2003;Mackowiak et al, 2005;Arrieta et al, 2014), in some cases confirmed with DNA and mycolates analyses (e.g. Luna et al, 2018).…”

The macroscopic and histomorphological properties of periosteal rib lesions and its relation with disease duration: evidence from the Luis Lopes Skeletal Collection (Lisbon, Portugal)

“…; Arrieta et al. ). In clinical settings, periosteal rib lesions are an occasional finding, often reported in patients with chronic conditions of the pleura and lungs, such as tuberculosis (Eyler et al.…”

“…Pfeiffer, 1984Pfeiffer, , 1991Molto, 1990;Wakely et al 1991;Lambert, 2002;Walker & Henderson, 2010;Wescott et al 2010) or associated with other bony changes, such as massive vertebral destruction (e.g. Haas et al 2000;Suzuki & Inoue, 2007;Suzuki et al 2008;Arrieta et al 2011). In clinical settings, periosteal rib lesions are an occasional finding, often reported in patients with chronic conditions of the pleura and lungs, such as tuberculosis (Eyler et al 1996;Guttentag & Salwen, 1999).…”

Recent advances in palaeopathology and the study of past societies in Argentina, southern South America

“…All these investigations contribute to the great challenge of increasing our knowledge of the health of human popula tions that inhabited southern South America in the past: for instance, enamel hypoplasia, porotic hyperostosis, cribra orbitalia and Harris lines (L'Heureux, 2000; Novellino and Gil, 2007;Gómez Otero and Novellino, 2011;Fabra and González, 2012), degenerative joint diseases and entheseal changes Scabuzzo, 2012), evalu ations of oral health, dental size, and hypocalcification (L'Heureux, 2000; Bernal et al, 2007;Luna, 2010;Luna and Aranda, 2010;Menéndez, 2010;Flensborg, 2011;see Bernal and Luna, 2011), analyses of bone mineral density ), paleoparasitological studies Fugassa et al, 2010), research on infectious García Laborde et al, 2010;Flensborg et al, 2013;Arrieta et al, 2014), traumatic (Gordón and Bosio, 2012;Gordón, 2013) and neoplastic diseases (Luna et al, 2008). Some paleoepidemiological and paleodemographical stud ies were also carried out (García Guraieb, 2006;Luna, 2006Luna, , 2012Berón et al, 2012;Flensborg et al, 2013).…”