"Tuberculosis on the spot" – Discussion of a probable sternal tuberculosis from a late medieval cemetery from Hungary

Abstract

Investigations of non-adult remains are particularly suitable for finding epidemic periods in past populations. This study presents a probable unique example of osseous manifestation of tuberculosis on a child's skeletal remains from medieval Hungary. Between 2009 and 2011 the Field Service for Cultural Heritage excavated the exceptional cemetery of Perkáta – Nyúli-dűlő in Hungary, with around 5000+ graves. The analysed skeleton (SNR 948) was located in the medieval (10–16th century) part of the cemetery. Besides the standard macroscopic pathological observation, we also performed radiographic analysis. The remains of the child (13-14 year-old) showed numerous skeletal lesions: the ribs have proliferative lesions (dense nodules) on the visceral surface of the shaft, lytic lesions with rounded edges occurred on the thoracic and lumbar vertebral bodies, and on the facies auricularis of the left ilium we can see pitting and new bone formation. What makes this pathological case exceptional is the significant change in the manubrium. It shows extensive osteolytic lesions, probably due to tuberculous osteomyelitis, which is a unique phenomenon in an archaeological context. This rare type of extra-spinal tuberculous osteomyelitis appears in less than 1% of cases with skeletal TB, and even less in case of children, according to modern medical literature. Although some cases of slight lesions on the manubrium have been described from an archaeological context, no such cases showing advanced lesions have been published so far. In the future, biomolecular analyses should be conducted as well, in order to confirm the presence of TB in this individual.