500-year-old frozen mummy found

A 500-year-old mummy was found frozen A mummy dating back to the Inca civilization froze after the ritual of making human sacrifices, and it is still infected with a lung infection after 500 years, which gives us a new idea about the diseases of the past.

It turns out that a 500-year-old Inca mummy known as “The Maiden” had a bacterial infection at the time of her death, and by diagnosing that infection, we may be able to get a good idea of ​​the diseases of the past.

Inca mummy

This discovery may enable us to help fight new diseases or diseases of the past that may re-emerge.

That mummy was suffering from a disease similar to tuberculosis, when it was sacrificed at the (Llullaillaco) volcano in Argentina, located at an altitude of about (6736) meters.

This discovery represented the first case in which a disease was “diagnosed” in such an ancient body, by using a new technique of oral scanning, and then comparing those scan samples with others from current patients.

Professor Angelique Corthals says: “Detecting pathogens in old tissues is not new, but what was impossible before this discovery was to know whether the pathogen was active or latent.”

“It will also contribute to enhancing our understanding of the biggest threats to the future, such as the emergence of new pathogens, or the re-emergence of previously known infectious diseases.”

The analysis of the mummy was possible because it was so well preserved that there were still lice in her hair.

The team surveyed the lips of two Inca mummies, buried at an altitude of 6,700 meters, and first discovered in 1999. The team compared the proteins they found in the survey samples with a huge database of the human genome.

They discovered that the protein nature of the samples taken from the mummy of a 15-year-old girl called “Al-Bakr”, was similar to that of patients with chronic respiratory infections, and DNA analysis revealed the presence of potentially pathogenic bacteria of the genus (Mycobacterium), which is the bacteria responsible About tuberculosis and upper respiratory tract infections.

In addition, x-rays of the virgin’s lungs showed an indication of a lung infection at the time of her death.

The mummies were found in the year 1999.

American archaeologist and member of the expedition Johan Reinhard says: “The doctors shook their heads in denial, saying that the mummies did not look to be 500 years old, but rather looked as if they had died only a few weeks ago.”

He continues: “I felt a chill run through my body when I saw her hands for the first time, as it looked as if they belonged to someone who was still alive.”

It is believed that the two children were chosen for their beauty, and were sacrificed in a ritual called (Capacocha).

(Reinhard) says that the Incas seldom performed these rituals, and they usually sacrificed children because they were considered the purest.

They were not sacrificed for feeding or appeasing the gods, but rather “to enter the realm of the gods and to live with them in Paradise. He considered this rite a great honor and a transition to a better life, so that they would keep in touch with their community which they had left, through the shamans (priests).

The Inca people believed that they could approach Paradise and communicate with the gods, by climbing the highest snow-capped mountains.

Detecting diseases underlying ancient remains is often fraught with difficulties, especially due to contaminating agents.

Techniques that depend on the study of bacterial DNA can falter due to environmental pollution factors, all they can confirm is the presence of the pathogen or not, not whether the person under study is infected or not. The researchers responsible for this study found a solution to this problem, led by Professor (Angelique Corthals) from (John Jay College of Criminal Justice).

They used proteomics, focusing on proteins rather than DNA residues, to diagnose the immune system’s response to degenerate samples from 500-year-old mummies.

The proteomics, with the help of X-rays and DNA from another mummy found with Al-Bakr, did not indicate the presence of a respiratory infection.

“Our study is the first of its kind, as instead of looking for the causative agent of the disease — which is very difficult for ancient and historical samples — we look at the protein character of the immune system of the ‘patient’, which allows us — more precisely — to know Whether or not there was an infection at death.”

“Our study opens the door towards solving many of the mysteries of medicine and forensic medicine, both ancient and modern, such as knowing why the 1918 influenza pandemic was so deadly, or knowing the pathogen responsible for the death case if it was present along with other pathogens.”