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Bacterial Diseases in Coastal Populations
Luz-Andrea Pfister, M.D.
Ph.D. student
Department of Anthropology & Ethnic Studies
University of Nevada Las Vegas
Andean Region
• Long-term human occupation of the
region starting 11,000-13,000 years
B.P. at the coast (Keefer et al. 1998,
Sandweiss et al. 1998).
• Transition from migratory huntergatherers to sedentary populations
around 8,000 B.P. (Benfer 1984, Quilter
1989)
• Population estimates pre-contact
1520s
– 6 million (Rowe 1947, Smith 1970)
– 13 million (Cook 1981)
• Densely populated coastal valleys
Paleopathology
• Intestinal parasites
– Coprolite samples
• Specific Infectious diseases
– Tuberculosis and Blastomycosis
• Examination of mummified tissue: major
cause of death in coastal and mountain
cultures (Allison 1984)
– Lobar pneumonia
– Bronchpneumonia
Possible Bacterial Infections
• Human reservoir
• Animal reservoir
• Food borne
• Environment
Human Reservoir
• Airborne
- Pneumonia, Otitis, Meningitis
– Streptococcus Pneumoniae
– Haemophilus influenza
• Skin contact
- Osteomyelitis, Endocarditis
– Staphylococcus
– Streptococcus
• Gastrointestinal tract (oro-pharynx – intestine)
– Oral streptococcus, Enterococcus, E. coli,
Animal Reservoir?
• Mammals
– Yersinia enterocolitica
• Pinnipeds
– Brucellosis?
– Mycobacterium pinniped?
• Camelids
– Mycobacterium microti?
– Shiga-toxin producing E. coli
Food borne
- seafood
V. Cholera non-01 none-0139 serogroups?
E. Coli
Enterococcus durans
Sepsis - Primary site of infection
– Pulmonary
– abdominal
– urinary tract
– neuro-meningeal
– dental pathology
• Where could we look for bacteria that
cause death in the absence of bone
lesions?
– Mummified tissue (only exceptionally
available)
– Bone marrow
Material and Methods
Samples
• Bone-marrow samples from 30 adult
skeletal remains from the coast, the Azapa
Valley and Lluta Valleys - Northern Chile
• Morro 1-6
4,500-3,500 B.P.
• Azapa-140
800-1000 B.P.
• Lluta-54
600-800 B.P.
Jamshidi Bone Marrow Biopsy Needle
Disposable
100mg Bone Marrow
DNA Extraction
PCR amplification of mDNA
PCR amplification of 16s rDNA (229bp)
Greisen et al. 1994
Sequencing
Blast search
Results
• 8 out of 30 samples positive for mDNA
• 16s rDNA PCR – samples and controls
positive
• DNAse I and ultracentrifugation
• 3 samples positive for 16s rDNA
• Bacillus sp.
• Staphylococcus epidermidis
• Pseudomona aeruginosa / otitidis
Bacillus sp.
Query
16
Sbjct
1206
Query
76
Sbjct
1266
Query
136
Sbjct
1326
CTGGGCTACACACGTGCTACAATGGTTGGTACAACGAGCAGCAAGACGTCGAGGTGGAGC
||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||| | ||||||| || |||||| ||||
CTGGGCTACACACGTGCTACAATGGATGGTACAAAGGGCAGCAAAACCGCGAGGTCGAGC
75
GAATCCCACAAAACCATTCTCAGTTCGGATTGTAGGCTGAAATTCGCCTACATGAAGCAG
|||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| || ||||||||||||||| |
GAATCCCATAAAACCATTCTCAGTTCGGATTGTAGGCTGCAACTCGCCTACATGAAGCCG
135
GAATCACTAGTAATCGCGGATCAGAATGCCGCGGTGAATACGTTCCCGGGC
||||| |||||||||||||||||| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
GAATCGCTAGTAATCGCGGATCAGCATGCCGCGGTGAATACGTTCCCGGGC
1265
1325
186
1376
• Bacillus organisms are frequently considered a cultural
contaminant in clinical samples.
• Although serious infections caused by organisms of the genus
Bacillus have been reported in the medical literature.
Pseudomona aeruginosa
Query
12
Sbjct
1181
Query
72
Sbjct
1240
Query
132
Sbjct
1299
TACGACCAGGGCTACACACGTGCTACAATGGATCGGTACAAAGGGTTGCCAAGCCGCGAG
|||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
TACGGCCAGGGCTACACACGTGCTACAATGG-TCGGTACAAAGGGTTGCCAAGCCGCGAG
71
GTGGAGCTAATCCCATAAAACCGTATCGTAGTCCGGATCGCAGTCTGCAACTCGCCTGCG
||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||
GTGGAGCTAATCCCATAAAACCG-ATCGTAGTCCGGATCGCAGTCTGCAACTCGACTGCG
131
TGAAGTCGGAATCGCTAGTAATCGTGAATCAGAATGTCACGGTGAATACGTTCCCGGGC
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
TGAAGTCGGAATCGCTAGTAATCGTGAATCAGAATGTCACGGTGAATACGTTCCCGGGC
1239
1298
190
1357
Worldwide distribution, present in humid and wet places, today mainly
nosocomial infections or people suffering from chronic conditions such
us chronic pulmonary disease or chronic otitis, cystic fibrosis
Staphylococcus epidermidis
Query
13
Sbjct
1185
Query
73
Sbjct
1245
Query
133
Sbjct
1305
TTATGATTTGGGCTACACACGTGCTACAATGGACAATACAAAGGGTAGCGAAACCGCGAG
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
TTATGATTTGGGCTACACACGTGCTACAATGGACAATACAAAGGGTAGCGAAACCGCGAG
72
GTCAAGCAAATCCCATAAAGTTGTTCTCAGTTCGGATTGTAGTCTGCAACTCGACTATAT
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
GTCAAGCAAATCCCATAAAGTTGTTCTCAGTTCGGATTGTAGTCTGCAACTCGACTATAT
132
GAAGCTGGAATCGCTAGTAATCGTAGATCAGCATGCTACGGTGAATACGTTCCCGGG
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
GAAGCTGGAATCGCTAGTAATCGTAGATCAGCATGCTACGGTGAATACGTTCCCGGG
1244
1304
189
1361
Normal skin flora, may cause pathology when skin no
longer intact. In present day common cause of postsurgery infections
Acknowledgements
Permission for destructive analysis
Museo Arqueológico San Miguel de Azapa, Arica Chile
Funding
Edward and Olswang Scholarship, UNLV 2003
Patricia Rocchio Memorial Scholarship, UNLV 2004
GPSA grant UNLV 2004
Marjorie Barrick Fellowship, UNLV 2004
Colleagues and Collaborators
Dr. Bernardo Arriaza, Universidad de Tarapaca, Chile
Dr. Dennis O’Rourke, University of Utah, Salt Lake City
Dr. Lois Alexander, University of Nevada, Las Vegas