{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,22]],"date-time":"2025-11-22T10:28:00Z","timestamp":1763807280746,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":22,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2017,1,6]],"date-time":"2017-01-06T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1483660800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Italian Ministry of University and Research","award":["PON03PE_00060_2 and PON03PE_00060_7 (Campania - Bioscience)"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["PON03PE_00060_2 and PON03PE_00060_7 (Campania - Bioscience)"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJMS"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The history of medicine abounds in cases of mysterious deaths, especially by infectious diseases, which were probably unresolved because of the lack of knowledge and of appropriate technology. The aim of this study was to exploit contemporary technologies to try to identify the cause of death of a young boy who died from a putative \u201cinfection\u201d at the end of the 18th century, and for whom an extraordinarily well-preserved minute bone fragment was available. After confirming the nature of the sample, we used laser microdissection to select the most \u201cinformative\u201d area to be examined. Tissue genotyping indicated male gender, thereby confirming the notary\u2019s report. 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing showed that Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria were more abundant than Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, and that Pseudomonas was the most abundant bacterial genus in the Pseudomonadaceae family. These data suggest that the patient most likely died from Pseudomonas osteomyelitis. This case is an example of how new technological approaches, like laser microdissection and next-generation sequencing, can resolve ancient cases of uncertain etiopathology. Lastly, medical samples may contain a wealth of information that may not be accessible until more sophisticated technology becomes available. Therefore, one may envisage the possibility of systematically storing medical samples for evaluation by future generations.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms18010109","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2017,1,6]],"date-time":"2017-01-06T10:08:12Z","timestamp":1483697292000},"page":"109","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":9,"title":["The Cause of Death of a Child in the 18th Century Solved by Bone Microbiome Typing Using Laser Microdissection and Next Generation Sequencing"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"18","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9273-3698","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Valeria","family":"D\u2019Argenio","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"CEINGE-Biotecnologie Avanzate, via G. Salvatore 486, 80145 Naples, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnologies, University of Naples Federico II, via Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Marielva","family":"Torino","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Archeo-Anthropology, University of Naples Suor Orsola Benincasa, via Suor Orsola 10, 80125 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Vincenza","family":"Precone","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CEINGE-Biotecnologie Avanzate, via G. Salvatore 486, 80145 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Giorgio","family":"Casaburi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CEINGE-Biotecnologie Avanzate, via G. Salvatore 486, 80145 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Maria","family":"Esposito","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CEINGE-Biotecnologie Avanzate, via G. Salvatore 486, 80145 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Laura","family":"Iaffaldano","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CEINGE-Biotecnologie Avanzate, via G. Salvatore 486, 80145 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Umberto","family":"Malapelle","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, via Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Giancarlo","family":"Troncone","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, via Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Iolanda","family":"Coto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CEINGE-Biotecnologie Avanzate, via G. 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