The discovery of two novel archosaur diseases with implications for future paleopathological exploration

Wolff, E

doi:10.1080/08912960802556642

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Hence, epidemiology and phylogeny can be used in addition to radiological imaging, providing essential information on possible diseases and their prevalence in order to put differential considerations from imaging into an evolutionary context. The evidence of pathologies found in close relatives in the phylogenetic bracket can thus support a diagnosis in palaeopathology and increase the level of confidence for this diagnosis 6,12,28 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…This study describes a comprehensive palaeopathological approach for diagnosing disease using morphological analysis and radiological imaging combined with phylogenetic disease bracketing 6,12,28 . This approach was applied to pathological findings of the fused caudal vertebrae and the left fibula of an articulated skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus rex, establishing the diagnosis of chronic osteomyelitis with a high level of confidence.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A comprehensive diagnostic approach combining phylogenetic disease bracketing and CT imaging reveals osteomyelitis in a Tyrannosaurus rex

Hamm

Hampe

Schwarz

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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Traditional palaeontological techniques of disease characterisation are limited to the analysis of osseous fossils, requiring several lines of evidence to support diagnoses. This study presents a novel stepwise concept for comprehensive diagnosis of pathologies in fossils by computed tomography imaging for morphological assessment combined with likelihood estimation based on systematic phylogenetic disease bracketing. This approach was applied to characterise pathologies of the left fibula and fused caudal vertebrae of the non-avian dinosaur Tyrannosaurus rex. Initial morphological assessment narrowed the differential diagnosis to neoplasia or infection. Subsequent data review from phylogenetically closely related species at the clade level revealed neoplasia rates as low as 3.1% and 1.8%, while infectious-disease rates were 32.0% and 53.9% in extant dinosaurs (birds) and non-avian reptiles, respectively. Furthermore, the survey of literature revealed that within the phylogenetic disease bracket the oldest case of bone infection (osteomyelitis) was identified in the mandible of a 275-million-year-old captorhinid eureptile Labidosaurus. These findings demonstrate low probability of a neoplastic aetiology of the examined pathologies in the Tyrannosaurus rex and in turn, suggest that they correspond to multiple foci of osteomyelitis.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A comprehensive diagnostic approach combining phylogenetic disease bracketing and CT imaging reveals osteomyelitis in a Tyrannosaurus rex

Hamm

Hampe

Schwarz

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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“…In sum, the known pathologic scenarios fall short of explaining the bone histology observed in these two specimens. The authors grant that a scenario for a pathologic etiology for which there is no modern analog [ 42 , 43 ] or a lesion for which examination of the complete skeleton would have yielded a different interpretation is always possible. However, the parsimonious argument for a biomechanical explanation (as supported by this paper) makes this possibility less likely given that the gross and histopathologic appearance of the bone does not suggest pathologic novelty.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

First Reported Cases of Biomechanically Adaptive Bone Modeling in Non-Avian Dinosaurs

et al. 2015

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Predator confrontation or predator evasion frequently produces bone fractures in potential prey in the wild. Although there are reports of healed bone injuries and pathologies in non-avian dinosaurs, no previously published instances of biomechanically adaptive bone modeling exist. Two tibiae from an ontogenetic sample of fifty specimens of the herbivorous dinosaur Maiasaura peeblesorum (Ornithopoda: Hadrosaurinae) exhibit exostoses. We show that these outgrowths are cases of biomechanically adaptive periosteal bone modeling resulting from overstrain on the tibia after a fibula fracture. Histological and biomechanical results are congruent with predictions derived from this hypothesis. Histologically, the outgrowths are constituted by radial fibrolamellar periosteal bone tissue formed at very high growth rates, as expected in a process of rapid strain equilibration response. These outgrowths show greater compactness at the periphery, where tensile and compressive biomechanical constraints are higher. Moreover, these outgrowths increase the maximum bending strength in the direction of the stresses derived from locomotion. They are located on the antero-lateral side of the tibia, as expected in a presumably bipedal one year old individual, and in the posterior position of the tibia, as expected in a presumably quadrupedal individual at least four years of age. These results reinforce myological evidence suggesting that Maiasaura underwent an ontogenetic shift from the primitive ornithischian bipedal condition when young to a derived quadrupedal posture when older.

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“…2021), the specimens of Colossosuchus techniensis preserving these crests, in particular IITKGPR759, are pristine with no signs of deformation. Pathological signatures such as fracture callus, abnormal suturing pattern and striated muscle scarring ( sensu Wolff 2008; Straight et al . 2009; Anné et al .…”

Section: Osteological Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A giant phytosaur (Diapsida, Archosauria) from the Upper Triassic of India with new insights on phytosaur migration, endemism and extinction

Datta

Ray

2023

Papers in Palaeontology

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A new Mystriosuchinae phytosaur, Colossosuchus techniensis, is described from the Upper Triassic Tiki Formation of India. Colossosuchus is diagnosed by multiple apomorphies, including a strongly downturned terminal rosette (c. 70°), closely spaced mediolateral band-like ornamentation on dorsal surface of the nasal, dorsolaterally oriented supratemporal fenestra, ventrolaterally inclined postorbital-squamosal bars depressed below the skull table, dorsally convex parietal-squamosal bar that descends ventrolaterally below the skull roof, dome-shaped skull in lateral view, prominent neural arch laminae and fossae, three sacral vertebrae, robust proximal end of the tibia, and fibula with high anteroposterior flaring of the distal end. The total body length of the largest individual recovered from the bonebed is estimated to be more than 8 m, suggesting that Colossosuchus is one of the largest phytosaurs known. Phylogenetic analysis nests Colossosuchus and other undescribed specimens from India within Mystriosuchinae.These form a distinct clade and represent the earliest record of endemism among Gondwanan phytosaurs. This clade is recovered as sister taxa to ((Volcanosuchus + Rutiodon) + Leptosuchomorpha), where the depressed supratemporal fenestra first appeared in the phytosaur lineage, a feature previously used to diagnose the derived leptosuchomorphs. Early-diverging phytosaur diversification may have coincided with the final stages of the Carnian Pluvial Event with their possible migratory routes along the circum-Tethyan coastline. The lineage continued to evolve mostly through endemic radiations and experienced an extinction event during early Norian, which marked the disappearance of most of the non-leptosuchomorph taxa. This is attributed to post-CPE aridification, although more study is required.

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The discovery of two novel archosaur diseases with implications for future paleopathological exploration

Cited by 6 publications

References 3 publications

A comprehensive diagnostic approach combining phylogenetic disease bracketing and CT imaging reveals osteomyelitis in a Tyrannosaurus rex

A comprehensive diagnostic approach combining phylogenetic disease bracketing and CT imaging reveals osteomyelitis in a Tyrannosaurus rex

First Reported Cases of Biomechanically Adaptive Bone Modeling in Non-Avian Dinosaurs

A giant phytosaur (Diapsida, Archosauria) from the Upper Triassic of India with new insights on phytosaur migration, endemism and extinction

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