Abstract
Seventy-one individuals from the late Neolithic population of the
7000-year-old site of Hódmezővásárhely-Gorzsa were examined for their
skeletal palaeopathology. This revealed numerous cases of infections and
non-specific stress indicators in juveniles and adults, metabolic
diseases in juveniles, and evidence of trauma and mechanical changes in
adults. Several cases showed potential signs of tuberculosis,
particularly the remains of the individual HGO-53. This is an important
finding that has significant implications for our understanding of this
community. The aim of the present study was to seek biomolecular
evidence to confirm this diagnosis. HGO-53 was a young male with a
striking case of hypertrophic pulmonary osteopathy (HPO), revealing rib
changes and cavitations in the vertebral bodies. The initial macroscopic
diagnosis of HPO secondary to tuberculosis was confirmed by analysis of
Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex specific cell wall lipid
biomarkers and corroborated by ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis. This case is
the earliest known classical case of HPO on an adult human skeleton and
is one of the oldest palaeopathological and palaeomicrobiological
tuberculosis cases to date.
Original language | English |
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Article number | e78252 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | PLoS ONE |
Volume | 8 |
Issue number | 10 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 30 Oct 2013 |