For many years now, TB Vets has supported research on tuberculosis right here in BC. It is always exciting when new discoveries are made that help the world learn more about this disease. TB is a world-wide disease that affects millions of people every year. Recently, on the Atilt-Yam site, in Israel, researchers found evidence of the possible existence of TB during the Neolithic period.

     Human remains were found under water. On the bones, lesions showing possible trace of Tuberculosis were discovered on what they believe are a 25-year-old woman and a child. The DNA of the bones was well preserved and so they decide to run up two different tests to prove without shadow of a doubt that TB had caused the lesions, 9000 years ago. A PCR experiment and a HPLC method were used to prove this. The results were positives for both tests.

     Experts are now trying to find a way to explain how those two people had been in contact with tuberculosis. One possible theory is by being in contact with cattle.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008 at 12:14 pm and is filed under Tuberculosis in the News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.