Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex DNA from an extinct bison dated 17,000 years before the present.
Ancient; Animals; Bacterial/*analysis/history; Bison/*microbiology; DNA; History; Mycobacterium tuberculosis/*genetics; Paleontology; Tuberculosis/*history/veterinary; Wyoming
In order to assess the presence of tuberculosis in Pleistocene bison and the origin of tuberculosis in North America, 2 separate DNA extractions were performed by 2 separate laboratories on samples from the metacarpal of an extinct long-horned bison that was radiocarbon dated at 17,870+/-230 years before present and that had pathological changes suggestive of tuberculosis. Polymerase chain reaction amplification isolated fragments of tuberculosis DNA, which were sequenced, and on which spoligotyping was also performed to help determine its relationship to the various members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. Extensive precautions against contamination with modern M. tuberculosis complex DNA were employed, including analysis of paleontologic and modern specimens in 2 geographically separate laboratories.
Rothschild B M; Martin L D; Lev G; Bercovier H; Bar-Gal G K; Greenblatt C; Donoghue H; Spigelman M; Brittain D
Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America
2001
2001-08
Article information provided for research and reference use only. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1086/321886" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1086/321886</a>
Pathological phalanges in a camarasaurid sauropod dinosaur and implications on behaviour
bone; bone tumour; camarasaurids; degenerative joint disease; Dinosauria; entheses; enthesophytes; histology; Jurassic; life-style; morphology; Morrison Formation; muscles; osteoarthritis; osteoblastoma; osteochondrosis; osteoid osteoma; Paleontology; paleopathology; Sauropoda; tendon; USA; Wyoming
Several types of pathological bony overgrowth are known from various dinosaur taxa but, except for stress fractures, are rarely reported from appendicular elements. Herein we describe pathological manual and pedal phalanges of a camarasaurid sauropod (SMA 0002), which show features rarely recognised in non-avian dinosaurs. They include lateral osteophytes and smoothing of phalangeal articular surfaces, a deep pit, proximal enthesophytes in pedal unguals, distal overgrowth associated with a fracture, and a knob-like overgrowth lateral to the distal condyles of a pedal phalanx. Their causes were assessed by means of visual examination, CT scans, and bone histology, where possible. The lateral osteophytes are interpreted as symptoms of osteoarthritis. The ossified tendon insertions in the unguals are most probably the result of prolonged, heavy use of the pedal claws, possibly for scratch-digging. The distal overgrowth is interpreted to have developed due to changed stress regimes, and to be the cause for the fracture. The deep pit represents most likely a case of osteochondrosis, whereas the knob-like overgrowth likely represents a post-traumatic phenomenon not previously reported in dinosaurs. The study confirms that a rigorous assessment of pathologies can yield information about behaviour in long-extinct animals.
Tschopp E; Wings O; Frauenfelder T; Rothschild B M
Acta Palaeontologica Polonica
2016
2016
Journal Article
<a href="http://doi.org/10.4202/app.00119.2014" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.4202/app.00119.2014</a>