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. 1999 Dec;180(6):2060-3.
doi: 10.1086/315151.

Identification of Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum in a 200-year-old skeletal specimen

C J Kolman  1 , A Centurion-Lara, S A Lukehart, D W Owsley, N Tuross
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Identification of Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum in a 200-year-old skeletal specimen

C J Kolman et al. J Infect Dis. 1999 Dec.

Abstract

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.

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