Brucellosis in an adult female from Fate Bell Rock Shelter, Lower Pecos, Texas (4000-1300 BP).

OBJECTIVE: This project is a case study discussing the differential diagnosis of multiple osteolytic vertebral lesions typical of brucellosis from an adult female from Fate Bell Rock Shelter in the Lower Pecos, Texas (4000-1300 BP).

MATERIALS: One middle to late adult female with exceptional preservation of the vertebrae.

METHODS: All skeletal remains were observed with low power magnification and the vertebrae were examined in greater detail using computed tomography (CT).

RESULTS: Pathological conditions involving multiple osteolytic vertebral lesions such as tuberculosis, echinococcosis, and neoplastic conditions were reviewed but brucellosis is the most likely diagnosis based on the pattern and distribution of characteristic lesions.

CONCLUSIONS: Aside from this study, only one other case of brucellosis has been recognized in prehistoric North American hunter-gatherer skeletal remains.

SIGNIFICANCE: This individual represents the first case of brucellosis in a hunter-gatherer from prehistoric North America diagnosed using both macroscopic skeletal analysis and computed tomography (CT).

LIMITATIONS: Poor preservation of vertebrae make cross comparison of remains and differential diagnosis difficult.

SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH: Further review and paleopathological research is needed regarding Coxiella burnetti (Q-fever) infection as a possible contributing factor to osteolytic lesions.