TY - JOUR
T1 - The Evolution of Diagnostic Techniques in the Paleopathology of Tuberculosis
T2 - A Scoping Review
AU - Papa, Veronica
AU - Galassi, Francesco M
AU - Varotto, Elena
AU - Gori, Andrea
AU - Vaccarezza, Mauro
PY - 2023/10/18
Y1 - 2023/10/18
N2 - Tuberculosis (TB) is an ancient chronic infectious disease that remains a global health concern. In human remains, the most common and characteristic clinical signs are the skeletal modifications involving the spine, such as in Pott’s disease. Diagnosing TB in ancient human remains is challenging. Therefore, in this systematic review, the authors investigated the studies assessing molecular diagnosis of Pott’s disease in ancient human remains with the intention to survey the literature, map the evidence, and identify gaps and future perspectives on TB in paleopathology. Our systematic review offers a full contextualization of the history of Pott’s disease in ancient times. Our search strategy was performed between August 2022 and March 2023. The authors initially identified 340 records, and 74 studies were finally included and assessed for qualitative analysis. Due to non-specific clinical signs associated with TB, how best to diagnose tuberculosis in human remains still represents a central point. Nevertheless, ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis, lipid biomarkers, and spoligotyping might be extremely useful tools in the study of TB in human remains. Moreover, we propose the extraction and study of immune response genes involved in innate and adaptive immunity versus Mycobacterium spp. as an innovative and vastly overlooked approach in TB paleopathology. Complementary methodologies should be integrated to provide the best approach to the study of TB in human remains.
AB - Tuberculosis (TB) is an ancient chronic infectious disease that remains a global health concern. In human remains, the most common and characteristic clinical signs are the skeletal modifications involving the spine, such as in Pott’s disease. Diagnosing TB in ancient human remains is challenging. Therefore, in this systematic review, the authors investigated the studies assessing molecular diagnosis of Pott’s disease in ancient human remains with the intention to survey the literature, map the evidence, and identify gaps and future perspectives on TB in paleopathology. Our systematic review offers a full contextualization of the history of Pott’s disease in ancient times. Our search strategy was performed between August 2022 and March 2023. The authors initially identified 340 records, and 74 studies were finally included and assessed for qualitative analysis. Due to non-specific clinical signs associated with TB, how best to diagnose tuberculosis in human remains still represents a central point. Nevertheless, ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis, lipid biomarkers, and spoligotyping might be extremely useful tools in the study of TB in human remains. Moreover, we propose the extraction and study of immune response genes involved in innate and adaptive immunity versus Mycobacterium spp. as an innovative and vastly overlooked approach in TB paleopathology. Complementary methodologies should be integrated to provide the best approach to the study of TB in human remains.
KW - Tuberculosis
KW - spondylodiscitis
KW - ancient DNA
KW - Mycobacterium
KW - Tuberculosis Complex (MTBC)
KW - human remains
KW - Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Complex (MTBC)
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85174969816&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.20411/pai.v8i1.597
DO - 10.20411/pai.v8i1.597
M3 - Review article
SN - 2469-2964
VL - 8
SP - 93
EP - 116
JO - Pathogens and Immunity
JF - Pathogens and Immunity
IS - 1
ER -