Lloveras Lluís, Thomas Richard, Moreno-García Marta, Nadal Jordi, Tomàs-Gimeno Xavier, Rissech Carme, Bellis Lauren
SERP, Departament d'Història Antiga i Arqueologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain.
School of Archaeology and Ancient History, University of Leicester, UK.
Int J Paleopathol. 2021 Sep;34:90-100. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2021.06.004. Epub 2021 Jul 1.
To provide prevalence data for future comparative analysis of the health status of rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) accumulated in the archaeological record.
Two contrasting assemblages were analysed for pathological and sub-pathological changes: 1) an assemblage of domestic modern rabbit bones; and 2) a non-anthropogenic accumulation of archaeological rabbit remains.
The lesions observed macroscopically, under magnification, and radiographically in both assemblages are quantified and described.
In the first assemblage, pathological and sub-pathological changes mostly affected the lower limb bones and primarily took two forms: diaphyseal periosteal proliferation and hypervascularised distal physes. Differential diagnosis of the periosteal proliferation suggests that pododermatitis is the most probable cause. In the second assemblage fractures were the most common lesions, but isolated examples of hypervascularised physes, periosteal proliferation, and musculo-skeletal stress markers were also identified. The pathological changes recorded is typical of a naturally-accumulated population of wild rabbits.
The prevalence of pathological and sub-pathological skeletal changes in the rabbits, and thus their health status, are closely related to living conditions. This study demonstrates the value of systematically recording pathologies in rabbit bones.
We contribute new data to help understand rabbit interactions with humans in the past and also the environment they inhabited.
Working with modern samples frequently means only incomplete skeletons are available for study. In these cases lesion prevalence always needs to be interpreted with caution.
Paleopathological studies of rabbit remains are remarkable for their absence. Further exhaustive research in this area is advised.
提供患病率数据，以便对考古记录中积累的家兔（穴兔）健康状况进行未来的比较分析。
分析了两组形成对比的样本，以研究其病理和亚病理变化：1）一组现代家兔骨骼样本；2）一组非人为堆积的考古家兔遗骸。
对两组样本中通过肉眼、放大镜观察以及X光检查所发现的病变进行量化和描述。
在第一组样本中，病理和亚病理变化主要影响下肢骨骼，主要有两种形式：骨干骨膜增生和远端骨骺血管增多。骨膜增生的鉴别诊断表明，足皮炎是最可能的病因。在第二组样本中，骨折是最常见的病变，但也发现了孤立的骨骺血管增多、骨膜增生和肌肉骨骼应激标志物的例子。记录的病理变化是自然积累的野兔群体的典型特征。
家兔骨骼病理和亚病理变化的患病率，以及它们的健康状况，与生活条件密切相关。本研究证明了系统记录家兔骨骼病变的价值。
我们提供了新的数据，有助于了解过去家兔与人类的相互作用以及它们所栖息的环境。
使用现代样本进行研究往往意味着只有不完整的骨骼可供研究。在这些情况下，病变患病率的解读始终需要谨慎。
对家兔遗骸的古病理学研究非常少见。建议在这一领域进行进一步的详尽研究。
