Skeletal remains of two individuals, showing lesions suggestive of
bone tuberculosis, from the archaeological sites of Marvele and Sukioniai in Lithuania were analyzed at the
DNA level. The diagnosis of
bone tuberculosis was confirmed in the remains from Marvele by amplifiying a 245-bp fragment of a repetitive insertion
element-like sequence (IS 6110) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis
DNA. This is direct evidence for the presence of
tuberculosis in Lithuania at the beginning of the first millennium AD. The individual from Sukioniai was found to be
tuberculosis-negative. No PCR product was obtained for the 245-bp target sequence or for a smaller 123-bp
DNA fragment specific for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. However, amplifiable
ancient DNA appeared to be present in the examined specimen as was shown by the results of the
DNA-based sex identification, which indicated, consistent with the bone morphology, a male individual.