DNA from Mycobacterium-tuberculosis complex identified in North American, pre-Columbian human skeletal remains (Archaeology and human biology)

Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex DNA has been detected in two ancient, North American human bone samples, dating from the Pre-Columbian period. Using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA sequence analysis, diagnostic portions of the IS6110 genomic element of Mycobacterium tuberculosis have been confirmed in a Canadian ossuary sample dating to the 15th century AD as well as from a Middle Mississippian burial dating to the early 11th century AD. Both specimens revealed lesions highly suggestive of tuberculosis. In the second case a soil sample, collected from the abdominal region of the burial, was assessed for possible soil contamination. These results add credence to the use of PCR as a tool in the investigation of infectious diseases in ancient human bone. They also provide additional evidence for the Pre-Columbian presence of tuberculosis in the New World. © 1998 Academic Press Limited.