title: Widespread occurrence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA from 18th-19th century Hungarians.
abstract: A large number (265) of burials from 1731-1838 were discovered in sealed crypts of the Dominican Church, Vác, Hungary in 1994. Many bodies were naturally mummified, so that both soft tissues and bones were available. Contemporary archives enabled the determination of age at death, and the identification of family groups. In some cases, symptoms before death were described and, occasionally, occupation. Initial radiological examination of a small number of individuals had indicated calcified lung lesions and demonstrable acid-fast bacteria suggestive of tuberculosis infection. Tuberculosis was endemic in 18th-19th century Europe, so human remains should contain detectable Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTB) DNA, enabling comparisons with modern isolates. Therefore, a comprehensive examination of 168 individuals for the presence of MTB DNA was undertaken. Specific DNA amplification methods for MTB showed that 55% of individuals were positive and that the incidence varied according to age at death and sampling site in the body. Radiographs were obtained from 27 individuals and revealed an association between gross pathology and the presence of MTB DNA. There was an inverse relationship between PCR positivity and MTB target sequence size. In some cases, the preservation of MTB DNA was excellent, and several target gene sequences could be detected from the same sample. This information, combined with MTB DNA sequencing data and molecular typing techniques, will enable us to study the past epidemiology of TB infection, and extends the timeframe for studying changes in molecular fingerprints.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology, University College London, London W1T 4JF, UK.
authors.forename: Helen A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Fletcher
authors.forename: Helen D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Donoghue
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Holton
authors.forename: Ildikó
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pap
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Spigelman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D016172:DNA Fingerprinting / Q000379:methods; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000266:history*; D019353:Endemic Diseases / Q000266:history / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D049671:History, 18th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D006801:Humans; D006814:Hungary / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000235:genetics*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000266:history* / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial