Mummy Had Lung Infection At Time Of Death, Novel Method Reveals

Mummy Lung Infection

Scientists discovered that an ancient Incan mummy suffered from a bacterial lung infection at the time of its death, as revealed by a novel proteomics method that shows evidence of an active pathogenic infection in an ancient sample for the first time.

The lung infection was identified after swabbing the lips of a 500-year-old frozen mummy of a 15-year old girl, called "The Maiden."

The scientists then used proteomics, which focuses on protein rather than DNA remains, to profile immune system response from degraded samples. They found that the protein profile from the mummy was similar to that of chronic respiratory infection patients.

DNA analysis also revealed the presence of probably pathogenic bacteria in the genus Mycobacterium, responsible for upper respiratory tract infections and tuberculosis.

"Pathogen detection in ancient tissues isn't new, but until now it's been impossible to say whether the infectious agent was latent or active," said lead researcher Angelique Corthals of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York. "Our technique opens a new door to solving some of history's biggest mysteries, such as the reasons why the flu of 1918 was so devastating. It will also enhance our understanding of our future's greatest threats, such as the emergence of new infectious agents or re-emergence of known infectious diseases."

The study was recently published in the open access journal PLoS ONE.

"Our study is the first of its kind since rather than looking for the pathogen, which is notoriously difficult to do in historical samples, we are looking at the immune system protein profile of the "patient", which more accurately tells us that there was indeed an infection at the time of death." or "Our study opens the door to solving many historical and current biomedical and forensic mysteries, from understanding why the plague of 1918 was so lethal, to finding out which pathogen is responsible for death in cases of multiple infections," Corthals said.