Thoracic aortic aneurysm in a pre-columbian (210 BC) inhabitant of northern Chile: implications for the origins of syphilis

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dc.contributor.authorCastro, Mario
dc.contributor.authorBenavente, Maria
dc.contributor.authorOrtega, Jose
dc.contributor.authorAcuña, Renato
dc.contributor.authorMontero, Carolina
dc.contributor.authorThomas, Carlos
dc.contributor.authorCastro, Nicolas
dc.date.accessioned2017-05-16T14:44:40Z
dc.date.available2017-05-16T14:44:40Z
dc.date.issued2016
dc.description.abstractThe aim of this work is to report a probable first case of a thoracic aortic aneurysm in the remains of a pre-Columbian individual from South America and to explore the relationship of this case to the only other paleopathological case previously described. We also consider the implications of both cases for the origins of syphilis. This study is based on the macroscopical analysis of human remains recovered during excavation of the Chiu Chiu 273 prehistoric cemetery, in the Antofagasta Region of Northern Chile. Ceramic sherds from the grave have a thermoluminescence date of 2160 ± 100 A.P. or 210 B.C. The skeletal remains of an adult individual display resorptive lesions in both the sternum and the first two thoracic vertebrae, which are suggestive of a thoracic aortic aneurysm. The lesions observed in the case described are clearly compatible with the development of an aneurysm of the thoracic aorta (ascending portion and arch). We suggest that this aneurysm has a syphilitic etiology, considering the vascular segments compromised, the type of lesions observed, and the prevalent etiology of this kind of cardiovascular pathology in pre-penicillin times. Since the only two cases of thoracic aortic aneurysms reported to date have been found in the Americas and are clearly pre-Columbian, it can be suggested that venereal syphilis was present in the Americas in times before European contact.
dc.format.extent7
dc.identifier.citationCastro MM, Benavente MA, Ortega J, Acuña R, Montero C, Thomas C, Castro N. Thoracic aortic aneurysm in a pre-Columbian (210 BC) inhabitant of Northern Chile: Implications for the origins of syphilis. Int J Paleopathol. 2016 Jun;13:20-26
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11447/1261
dc.identifier.urihttp://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpp.2016.01.002
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.publisherElsevier
dc.subjectAortic disease
dc.subjectInfectious disease-paleopathology
dc.subjectVenereal syphilis
dc.subjectNorthern Chile
dc.titleThoracic aortic aneurysm in a pre-columbian (210 BC) inhabitant of northern Chile: implications for the origins of syphilis
dc.typeArtículo

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