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Váradi OA, Rakk D, Spekker O, Terhes G, Urbán E, Berthon W, Pap I, Szikossy I, Maixner F, Zink A, Vágvölgyi C, Donoghue HD, Minnikin DE, Szekeres A, Pálfi G. Verification of tuberculosis infection among Vác mummies (18th century CE, Hungary) based on lipid biomarker profiling with a new HPLC-HESI-MS approach. Tuberculosis (Edinb) 2020; 126:102037. [PMID: 33338873 DOI: 10.1016/j.tube.2020.102037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2020] [Revised: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 11/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB) was a large burden of infections that peaked during the 19th century in Europe. Mummies from the 18th century CE, discovered in the crypt of a church at Vác, Hungary, had high TB prevalence, as revealed by amplification of key fragments of TB DNA and genome-wide TB analysis. Complementary methods are needed to confirm these diagnoses and one approach uses the identification of specific lipid biomarkers, such as TB mycocerosic acids (MCs). Previously, MC derivatives were profiled by specialised gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), so an alternative more direct approach has been developed. Underivatized MCs are extracted and analysed by high-performance liquid chromatography linked to a mass spectrometer, in heated electrospray ionisation mode (HPLC-HESI-MS). The method was validated using representatives of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex and other mycobacteria and tested on six Vác mummy cases, previously considered positive for TB infection. Analysing both rib and soft tissue samples, four out of six cases gave profiles of main C32 and major C29 and C39 mycocerosates correlating well with those of M. tuberculosis. Multidisciplinary methods are needed in the diagnosis of ancient tuberculosis; this new protocol accesses important confirmatory evidence, as demonstrated by the confirmation of TB in the Vác mummies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Orsolya Anna Váradi
- Department of Biological Anthropology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, Hungary. Postal address: Közép fasor 52, H-6726, Szeged, Hungary; Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, Hungary. Postal address: Közép fasor 52, H-6726, Szeged, Hungary.
| | - Dávid Rakk
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, Hungary. Postal address: Közép fasor 52, H-6726, Szeged, Hungary.
| | - Olga Spekker
- Department of Biological Anthropology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, Hungary. Postal address: Közép fasor 52, H-6726, Szeged, Hungary.
| | - Gabriella Terhes
- Institute of Clinical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Szeged, Hungary. Postal address: P.O.B. 427, H-6701, Szeged, Hungary.
| | - Edit Urbán
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Medical School, University of Pécs, Hungary. Postal address: Szigeti út 12, H-7624 Pécs, Hungary; Institute of Translational Medicine, Medical School, University of Pécs, Hungary. Postal address: Szigeti út 12, H-7624, Pécs, Hungary.
| | - William Berthon
- Department of Biological Anthropology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, Hungary. Postal address: Közép fasor 52, H-6726, Szeged, Hungary.
| | - Ildikó Pap
- Department of Anthropology, Hungarian Natural History Museum, Hungary. Postal address: Ludovika tér 2-6, H-1083, Budapest, Hungary.
| | - Ildikó Szikossy
- Department of Anthropology, Hungarian Natural History Museum, Hungary. Postal address: Ludovika tér 2-6, H-1083, Budapest, Hungary.
| | - Frank Maixner
- Institute for Mummy Studies, Eurac Research, Bolzano, Italy. Postal address: Viale Druso, 1, I-39100, Bolzano, Italy.
| | - Albert Zink
- Institute for Mummy Studies, Eurac Research, Bolzano, Italy. Postal address: Viale Druso, 1, I-39100, Bolzano, Italy.
| | - Csaba Vágvölgyi
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, Hungary. Postal address: Közép fasor 52, H-6726, Szeged, Hungary.
| | - Helen D Donoghue
- Centre for Clinical Microbiology, University College London, London, UK. Postal address: Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
| | - David E Minnikin
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, UK. Postal Address: B15 2TT Birmingham, UK.
| | - András Szekeres
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, Hungary. Postal address: Közép fasor 52, H-6726, Szeged, Hungary.
| | - György Pálfi
- Department of Biological Anthropology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, Hungary. Postal address: Közép fasor 52, H-6726, Szeged, Hungary.
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