02246nas a2200265   4500000000100000008004100001260000900042100001300051700001100064700001400075700001400089700001500103700001000118700001300128700001100141700001300152700001200165245017300177856007700350300001100427490000600438050001600444520150600460022001401966       2014                            d  c20141 aSuzuki K1 aSaso A1 aHoshino K1 aSakurai J1 aTanigawa K1 aLuo Y1 aIshido Y1 aMori S1 aHirata K1 aIshii N00aPaleopathological evidence and detection of Mycobacterium leprae DNA from archaeological skeletal remains of Nabe-kaburi (head-covered with iron pots) burials in Japan.  uhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3917912/pdf/pone.0088356.pdf  ae883560 v9  aSUZUKI 20143 a<p>The Nabe-kaburi is a unique burial method, the purpose of which is shrouded in mystery. The burials were performed during the 15(th) to 18(th) centuries in eastern Japan, and involved covering the heads of the deceased with iron pots or mortars. The identification of leprosy-specific osteological lesions among some of the excavated remains has led to the suggestion that Nabe-kaburi burials were a reflection of the social stigma against certain infectious diseases, such as leprosy, tuberculosis or syphilis. However, molecular evidence for the presence of disease has been lacking. The goal of this study was to detect Mycobacterium leprae (M. leprae) DNA in archaeological human skeletal remains from Nabe-kaburi burials. The paleopathological data from three Nabe-kaburi burials were re-evaluated before small samples were taken from affected and control areas. DNA was extracted and used as a template to target the M. leprae-specific DNA using a combination of whole genome amplification, PCR analysis and DNA sequencing. M. leprae DNA fragments were detected in the two sets of skeletal remains that had also shown paleopathological evidence of leprosy. These findings provide definitive evidence that some of the Nabe-kaburi burials were performed for people affected by leprosy. Demonstration of the presence of M. leprae DNA, combined with archeological and anthropological examinations, will aid in solving the mystery of why Nabe-kaburi burials were performed in medieval Japan.</p>
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