MSU Scientists Identify Brucellosis in Ancient Skeletal Remains

For the first time, researchers have found brucellosis in ancient skeletal remains. In collaboration with Albanian archaeologists at the site of Butrint, MSU Anthropology’s Dr. Todd Fenton confirmed the presence of this infectious disease in medieval bones. Brucellosis, still a problem in modern Mediterranean countries, presents very similar skeletal pathology to tuberculosis, but DNA samples analyzed by Dr. David Foran of MSU Criminal Justice determined that the skeletal damage was instead caused by brucellosis. Their findings were published in the February 2012 volume of the American Journal of Physical Anthropology.” MSU News Report: http://research.msu.edu/stories/msu-scientists-crack-medieval-bone-code