Neonate human remains : a window of opportunity to the molecular study of ancient syphilis
Montiel, Rafael (Instituto Politécnico Nacional (Guanajuato, Mèxic). Laboratorio Nacional de Genómica para la Biodiversidad)
Solórzano, Eduvigis (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Biologia Animal, de Biologia Vegetal i d'Ecologia)
Díaz de Villabona, Nancy (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Biologia Animal, de Biologia Vegetal i d'Ecologia)
Álvarez-Sandoval, Brenda A. (Instituto Politécnico Nacional (Guanajuato, Mèxic). Laboratorio Nacional de Genómica para la Biodiversidad)
González Ruiz, Mercedes (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Biologia Animal, de Biologia Vegetal i d'Ecologia)
Cañadas Castillo, María de la Paz (General Lab (Barcelona, Catalunya). Departament de Biologia Molecular)
Simões, Nelson (Universidade dos Açores (Ponta Delgada, Portugal))
Isidro, Albert (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Biologia Animal, de Biologia Vegetal i d'Ecologia)
Malgosa Morera, Assumpció (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Biologia Animal, de Biologia Vegetal i d'Ecologia)

Date:	2012
Abstract:	Ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis can be a useful tool in bacterial disease diagnosis in human remains. However, while the recovery of Mycobacterium spp. has been widely successful, several authors report unsuccessful results regarding ancient treponemal DNA, casting doubts on the usefulness of this technique for the diagnosis of ancient syphilis. Here, we present results from an analysis of four newborn specimens recovered from the crypt of "La Ermita de la Soledad" (XVI-XVII centuries), located in the province of Huelva in the southwest of Spain. We extracted and analyzed aDNA in three independent laboratories, following specific procedures generally practiced in the aDNA field, including cloning of the amplified DNA fragments and sequencing of several clones. This is the most ancient case, reported to date, from which detection of DNA from T. pallidum subspecies pallidum has been successful in more than one individual, and we put forward a hypothesis to explain this result, taking into account the course of the disease in neonate individuals.
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; Versió publicada
Subject:	DNA ; Sífilis ; Restes humanes ; Syphilis
Published in:	PloS one, Vol. 7, Issue 5 (May 2012) , p. e36371, ISSN 1932-6203

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0036371
PMID: 22567153

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