Dominique Castex

Genotyping, Orientalis-like Yersinia pestis, and Plague Pandemics

Two historical plague pandemics were likely caused by Orientalis-like strains of Yersinia pestis.

Immuno-PCR - A New Tool for Paleomicrobiology: The Plague Paradigm

Background The cause of past plague pandemics was controversial but several research teams used PCR techniques and dental pulp as the primary material to reveal that they were caused by Yersinia pestis. However, the degradation of DNA limits the ability to detect ancient infections. Methods We used for the first time immuno-PCR to detect Yersinia pestis antigens; it can detect protein concentrations 70 times lower than the standard ELISA. After determining the cut-off value, we tested 34 teeth that were obtained from mass graves of plague, and compared previous PCR results with ELISA and immuno-PCR results. Results The immuno-PCR technique was the most sensitive (14 out of 34) followed by the PCR technique (10 out of 34) and ELISA (3 out of 34). The combination of these three methods identified 18 out of 34 (53%) teeth as presumably being from people with the plague. Conclusion Immuno-PCR is specific (no false-positive samples were found) and more sensitive than the currently used method to detect antigens of ancient infections in dental pulp. The combination of three methods, ELISA, PCR and immuno-PCR, increased the capacity to identify ancient pathogens in dental pulp.

Demographic Patterns Distinctive of Epidemic Cemeteries in Archaeological Samples.

The analysis of biological parameters such as age and sex is particularly relevant to the interpretation of ancient skeletal assemblages related to abrupt mortality crises, and more particularly epidemics. In such a context, the mechanisms of selection within a population or part of a population differ according to the pathogen involved. They may also vary depending on the period and location in which the population lived. Here, we illustrate the specificity of plague mortality through the study of several European burial sites contemporary with the first and second plague pandemics. The paleodemographic patterns obtained for different plague outbreaks from the 6th to the 16th centuries reveal some constant features over time and space as well as some differences that suggest a possible evolution in the epidemiological characteristics of the disease.

A mass grave from the catacomb of Saints Peter and Marcellinus in Rome, second-third century AD

Investigations in a catacomb revealed an early mass grave, in which the bodies were bound tightly with plaster and textile in a type of mummification. Over 100 individuals, mostly young adults, including women, were stacked in rows apparently following a communal fatal incident, perhaps an epidemic. The presence of traces of gold, silver and probably amber with many of the bodies, and their burial in an imperial property suggests a group of some status being interred in the early years of the catacomb, at the end of the second century AD or beginning of the third.

Life history of the individuals buried in the St. Benedict Cemetery (Prague, 15th–18th Centuries): Insights from 14C dating and stable isotope (δ13C, δ15N, δ18O) analysis

Funerary practices and bioarchaeological (sex and age) data suggest that a mortality crisis linked to an epidemic episode occurred during the fifth phase of the St. Benedict cemetery in Prague (Czech Republic). To identify this mass mortality episode, we reconstructed individual life histories (dietary and mobility factors), assessed the populations biological homogeneity, and proposed a new chronology through stable isotope analysis (δ(13)C, δ(18)O and δ(15)N) and direct radiocarbon dating. Stable isotope analysis was conducted on the bone and tooth enamel (collagen and carbonate) of 19 individuals from three multiple graves (MG) and 12 individuals from individual graves (IG). The δ(15)N values of collagen and the difference between the δ(13)C values of collagen and bone carbonate could indicate that the IG individuals had a richer protein diet than the MG individuals or different food resources. The human bone and enamel carbonate and δ(18)O values suggest that the majority of individuals from MG and all individuals from IG spent most of their lives outside of the Bohemian region. Variations in δ(18)O values also indicate that all individuals experienced residential mobility during their lives. The stable isotope results, biological (age and sex) data and eight (14)C dates clearly differentiate the MG and IG groups. The present work provides evidence for the reuse of the St. Benedict cemetery to bury soldiers despite the funeral protest ban (1635 AD). The Siege of Prague (1742 AD) by French-Bavarian-Saxon armies is identified as the cause of the St. Benedict mass mortality event.

Ancient Down syndrome: An osteological case from Saint-Jean-des-Vignes, northeastern France, from the 5–6th century AD

The pathological skull of a 5-7 year old child from Saint-Jean-des-Vignes (Saône-et-Loire, north-eastern France) dated to the 5-6th century AD is described. Morphological and radiographic features, metrical data and Computed Tomography (CT) scans are used to study the osteological abnormalities in comparison with normal skulls of individuals of similar age and geographic origin. The combination of features is consistent with the diagnosis of Down syndrome (e.g. brachycrany, metopism, hypodontia, periodontitis, a flattened occiput, vault thinness, and an open cranial base angle), although none is pathognomonic of the disease in isolation. Cases of Down syndrome in past populations are rare, frequently poorly described or discovered out of context. This case represents the earliest and youngest example of the condition in the archaeological record. The context and funerary treatment of this child suggests that he/she was not stigmatized by other members of the community, who afforded a normal mode of burial.

Differential diagnosis of carpal and tarsal ankylosis on dry bones: Example from the catacomb of Saints Peter and Marcellinus (Rome, 1st–3rd century AD)

Bone ankylosis is a pathological feature that may occur in many chronic diseases involving joints. In paleopathology, it is therefore challenging to attribute such a change to a specific condition. Here, we illustrate the differential diagnosis by discussing the lesions observed on an incomplete skeleton from the Roman period, recovered from the catacomb of Saints Peter and Marcellinus (Rome, Italy). The skeleton exhibits several bone changes, including ankylosis on both feet and the left hand. The right tarsal fusion is accompanied by soft tissue ossifications involving the plantar aponeurosis and the tendinous structures connecting the great toes proximal phalanx and sesamoid bones. The lesions recorded suggest that a spondyloarthropathy is the most likely cause of these extensive fusions.

Réévaluation des arguments de simultanéité des dépôts de cadavres : l’exemple des sépultures plurielles de la catacombe des Saints Pierre-et-Marcellin (Rome)

RésuméEn pratique archéologique, la distinction entre sépultures collectives et sépultures multiples se fonde généralement sur l’analyse des relations physiques entre squelettes et de l’état des connexions articulaires. Cependant, si l’utilité de cette démarche n’est plus à démontrer, elle connait également ses limites, devenant inopérante lorsque la mauvaise conservation des ossements ou une séparation physique entre squelettes exclut l’identification de contacts entre individus. La simple dichotomie entre sépultures collectives et sépultures multiples apparaît par ailleurs insuffisante pour caractériser l’ensemble des cas de figures rencontrés et pour résumer les comportements humains qui ont conduit à l’inhumation de nombreux défunts en un même lieu. Les sépultures plurielles de la catacombe des Saints Pierre-et-Marcellin (Rome, Ier-IIIe siècle) en sont un parfait exemple. Dans cet espace funéraire souterrain, de larges salles ont accueilli le dépôt de centaines de cadavres, selon une dynamique originale. L’étude du site conduit à évaluer la pertinence de certains critères communément usités pour attester la simultanéité des dépôts en archéologie funéraire et met en évidence l’intérêt de l’utilisation de certains arguments alternatifs: rapport entre la capacité des chambres sépulcrales et le volume des corps (appréhendés à l’aide d’une modélisation tridimensionnelle), modalités de gestion funéraire, évolution taphonomique des strates de cadavres et répartition spatiales des individus en fonction de leurs âges au décès. La conjonction de ces différents arguments démontre que les chambres sépulcrales ont accueilli des dépôts simultanés de cadavres, lesquels ont cependant été opérés en plusieurs phases successives.AbstractIn archaeology, distinguishing between multiple burials (simultaneous deposits) and collective burials (successive deposits) generally relies on analyses of physical contacts between skeletons and the state of their joints. Although the usefulness of this approach is widely recognised, it does have some limitations, as it is ineffective when the bones are too poorly preserved or when there is no physical contact between the skeletons. Moreover, the dichotomy between collective burials and multiple burials seems too simplistic to characterise all the grave types that may be encountered and to summarise all the human behaviour patterns that can result in the deposit of numerous bodies in the same place. The mass graves in the catacomb of Saint Peter and Marcellinus (Rome, 1st–3rd century) clearly illustrate these issues. In this underground burial space, thousands of individuals were deposited in several huge chambers, in an unusual pattern. Our analysis of these graves raises questions about the suitability of the criteria commonly used to diagnose the simultaneity of burials, and highlights the usefulness of a number of alternative arguments, namely the ratio between the capacity of burial chambers and the volume of the corpses (calculated via three-dimensional modelling), management of the corpses, taphonomy of the layers of skeletons and the spatial distribution of the bodies according to age at death. Taken together, these arguments show that corpses were indeed deposited simultaneously in the burial chambers, but that this was done at several successive points in time.

Human and cattle remains in a simultaneous deposit in the Hellenistic necropolis of Jal al Bahr in Tyre: Initial investigations

Excavations at the Hellenistic necropolis of Jal al Bahr in Tyre (southern Lebanon) have uncovered eight human skeletons buried together with the remains of five cattle crania and mandibles and five vertebral segments (thoracic, lumbar, and sacral vertebrae in various combinations). This deposit, which is separate from the primary single burials in the necropolis, revealed human bodies buried in atypical positions simultaneously with cattle remains and has raised the question of the significance of these remains. Archaeoanthropological and archaeozoological approaches were used in this study to elucidate and discuss funerary practices that differed from the classic burial practices known to exist in Hellenistic Tyre.RésuméLa nécropole hellénistique de Jal al-Bahr à Tyr (Liban Sud) a livré un dépôt de huit squelettes humains déposés simultanément avec cinq crânes et cinq segments du tronc (côtes et vertèbres) de bovins. Ce dépôt localisé à proximité d’une nécropole constituée de sépultures individuelles a révélé des positions atypiques des individus humains associés à des restes bovins (crânes, thorax) et nous a conduits à nous interroger sur la signification de ces vestiges. L’approche archéoanthropologique et archéozoologique nous a permis d’appréhender et de discuter certaines pratiques mortuaires originales et distinctes des modes d’inhumations classiques connus pour l’époque hellénistique à Tyr.

Normal growth, altered growth? Study of the relationship between harris lines and bone form within a post‐medieval plague cemetery (Dendermonde, Belgium, 16th Century)

Harris lines (HLs) are defined as transverse, mineralized lines associated with temporary growth arrest. In paleopathology, HLs are used to reconstruct health status of past populations. However, their etiology is still obscure. The aim of this article is to test the reliability of HLs as an arrested growth marker by investigating their incidence on human metrical parameters.