title: Identification of Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum in a 200-year-old skeletal specimen.
abstract: Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum, the causative agent of venereal syphilis, was detected in a 200-year-old skeletal specimen from Easter Island. An initial diagnosis of treponemal infection was confirmed by extensive purification of immunoglobulin that reacted strongly with T. pallidum antigen. Extracted DNA exhibited a single-base polymorphism that distinguished T.p. subsp. pallidum from 4 other human and nonhuman treponemes. Extensive precautions against contamination of the subject matter with modern treponemal DNA were employed, including analysis of archaeological and modern specimens in 2 geographically separate laboratories. Molecular determination of historical disease states by using skeletal material can significantly enhance our understanding of the pathology and spread of infectious diseases.
authors.affiliation: Smithsonian Center for Materials Research and Education, Suitland, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Kolman
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Centurion-Lara
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Lukehart
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Owsley
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tuross
mesh_terms: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology; D001483:Base Sequence; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D049671:History, 18th Century; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D011114:Polynesia; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013587:Syphilis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000266:history* / Q000382:microbiology; D014210:Treponema pallidum / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D007074:Immunoglobulin G