TY - JOUR
T1 - Co-infection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium leprae in human archaeological samples
T2 - A possible explanation for the historical decline of leprosy
AU - Donoghue, Helen D.
AU - Marcsik, Antónia
AU - Matheson, Carney
AU - Vernon, Kim
AU - Nuorala, Emilia
AU - Molto, Joseph E.
AU - Greenblatt, Charles L.
AU - Spigelman, Mark
PY - 2005/2/22
Y1 - 2005/2/22
N2 - Both leprosy and tuberculosis were prevalent in Europe during the first millennium but thereafter leprosy declined. It is not known why this occurred, but one suggestion is that cross-immunity protected tuberculosis patients from leprosy. To investigate any relationship between the two diseases, selected archaeological samples, dating from the Roman period to the thirteenth century, were examined for both Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA, using PCR. The work was carried out and verified in geographically separate and independent laboratories. Several specimens with palaeopathological signs of leprosy were found to contain DNA from both pathogens, indicating that these diseases coexisted in the past. We suggest that the immunological changes found in multi-bacillary leprosy, in association with the socio-economic impact on those suffering from the disease, led to increased mortality from tuberculosis and therefore to the historical decline in leprosy.
AB - Both leprosy and tuberculosis were prevalent in Europe during the first millennium but thereafter leprosy declined. It is not known why this occurred, but one suggestion is that cross-immunity protected tuberculosis patients from leprosy. To investigate any relationship between the two diseases, selected archaeological samples, dating from the Roman period to the thirteenth century, were examined for both Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA, using PCR. The work was carried out and verified in geographically separate and independent laboratories. Several specimens with palaeopathological signs of leprosy were found to contain DNA from both pathogens, indicating that these diseases coexisted in the past. We suggest that the immunological changes found in multi-bacillary leprosy, in association with the socio-economic impact on those suffering from the disease, led to increased mortality from tuberculosis and therefore to the historical decline in leprosy.
KW - Ancient DNA
KW - History of infectious diseases
KW - Leprosy
KW - PCR
KW - Tuberculosis
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=16844383408&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1098/rspb.2004.2966
DO - 10.1098/rspb.2004.2966
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C2 - 15734693
AN - SCOPUS:16844383408
SN - 0962-8452
VL - 272
SP - 389
EP - 394
JO - Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
JF - Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
IS - 1561
ER -