Rib lesions in a prehistoric Puebloan sample from southwestern Colorado

American Journal of Physical Anthropology
Patricia M Lambert

Abstract

An unusually high frequency of periosteal lesions of visceral rib surfaces was observed in a small, prehistoric skeletal series from southwestern Colorado. Lesions of this type have been concordant with pulmonary tuberculosis in three studies of human skeletal collections with known cause of death, and in a recent clinical investigation of rib dimensions in living patients with lung disorders. Diseases such as pneumonia and actinomycosis have also been found to cause these lesions, but in much lower frequencies. Archaeological evidence suggests that Puebloan farmers of Sleeping Ute Mountain's southern piedmont, from which the sample is drawn, endured unusually harsh environmental conditions punctuated by severe drought and exacerbated by escalating warfare. It is argued here that these environmental stressors increased susceptibility to an opportunistic respiratory infection reminiscent of tuberculosis, and possibly also some form of pneumonia, resulting in high rates of active disease previously noted only in historic Puebloan peoples.

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Citations

May 15, 2013·Tuberculosis·Maryna SteynSamantha Pretorius
Aug 30, 2008·Interactive Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery·Vivek AgrawalArun Gupta
Apr 28, 2009·Current Anthropology·A K WilburJ E Buikstra
Dec 3, 2014·Homo : internationale Zeitschrift für die vergleichende Forschung am Menschen·L HlavenkováT Hajdu
Feb 20, 2007·Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz·Jennifer RaffFrederika Kaestle
Apr 13, 2007·American Journal of Physical Anthropology·Charlotte A Roberts
Jan 22, 2019·International Journal of Paleopathology·Dorthe Dangvard PedersenJesper Lier Boldsen

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