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Ancient Antibiotics : Tetracycline In Human And Animal Bone From The Dakhleh Oasis, Egypt, Corey Maggiano

HIM 1990-2015

Two decades ago archaeologists in northern Africa discovered evidence that an antibiotic was somehow included in diet of ancient peoples, possibly affecting the health of the population. It has been proposed that the causative organisms are Streptomyces aureofaciens - ubiquitous, mold-like, tetracycline-producing bacteria that could have contaminated grain products. Upon consumption, tetracyclines are incorporated into developing or remodeling bone, remaining observable under ultraviolet light for thousands of years. The current project focuses on an analysis of Roman-Egyptian human and animal bone from the Dakhleh Oasis in southwestern Egypt (100 BC to AD 360). Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (CLSM) is used …