Kolman C J, Centurion-Lara A, Lukehart S A, Owsley D W, Tuross N
Smithsonian Center for Materials Research and Education, Suitland, Maryland, USA.
J Infect Dis. 1999 Dec;180(6):2060-3. doi: 10.1086/315151.
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.
在来自复活节岛的一具200年前的骨骼标本中检测到了梅毒螺旋体苍白亚种，它是性病梅毒的病原体。通过对与梅毒螺旋体抗原强烈反应的免疫球蛋白进行广泛纯化，证实了梅毒螺旋体感染的初步诊断。提取的DNA表现出单碱基多态性，可将梅毒螺旋体苍白亚种与其他4种人类和非人类梅毒螺旋体区分开来。采取了广泛的预防措施以防止现代梅毒螺旋体DNA污染样本，包括在两个地理位置分开的实验室对考古标本和现代标本进行分析。利用骨骼材料对历史疾病状态进行分子测定，可显著增进我们对传染病病理学和传播的理解。
