Tetracycline-labeled human bone from ancient Sudanese Nubia (A.D. 350).
Nubian bone recovered from an X-group cemetery (A.D. 350 to 550) exhibits a pattern of fluorescence identical to that of modern tetracycline-labeled bone. When it is viewed under ultraviolet light at 490 angstroms, fluorophors are visible as a characteristic yellow-green fluorescence on surfaces that were actively mineralizing at the time of exposure. Contamination of stored grains provided the proper environment for cultivation of tetracycline-producing Streptomycetes. Evidence for exposure to antibiotics in an archeological population is relevant to studies of the evolution of R factors and to the interpretation of health and disease within the population.
D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000032:analysis*; D004032:Diet; D005453:Fluorescence; D006666:History of Medicine; D013302:Streptomyces; D013397:Sudan; D013752:Tetracycline / Q000032:analysis / Q000266:history*
D013752:Tetracycline