Charles Sturt study challenges congenital syphilis marker in Vietnam remains
This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.
A Charles Sturt University-led study published Aug. 12 in the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology finds congenital treponemal disease in three children buried at Vietnamese sites 3,500–4,000 years ago. The dental and skeletal lesions, long used to identify venereal syphilis, point to yaws or another nonvenereal form, the authors report.
The Vietnam Evidence
An Australia–Vietnam team led by Dr. Melandri Vlok, Lecturer in Anatomy and Physiology in the Charles Sturt School of Dentistry and Medical Science, analyzed skeletal remains from 16 archaeological sites in northern and southern Vietnam. The study, published in the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, examined 309 individuals covering 10,000 to 1,000 years before present. Only three young children showed diagnostic signs of congenital treponematosis, with distinctive dental abnormalities and skeletal lesions dating back at least 3,500 years.
Congenital Infection Marker
The children's remains are dated to at least 3,500 years ago. Treponematosis includes syphilis, yaws and endemic syphilis. Congenital transmission has historically been viewed as a strong indicator of venereal syphilis, according to lead author Dr. Melandri Vlok.
Yaws Versus Syphilis
Yaws is a tropical treponemal disease that affects more than 150,000 people in tropical areas and can cause permanent disability. Dr. Vlok said the findings show the assumption that congenital infection indicates venereal syphilis may not always hold true. Other treponemal diseases may also have been transmitted from mother to child.
What's Next
Further analysis of remains from other Southeast Asian and tropical collections may test whether mother-to-child transmission of nonvenereal treponematoses was widespread. It remains unclear whether the 3,500-year-old Vietnamese cases will prompt a broader reassessment of syphilis's origins.
1 source
Charles Sturt study challenges congenital syphilis marker in Vietnam remains
