Abstract

We report on dental and mandibular pathology in Labidosaurus hamatus, a 275 million-year-old terrestrial reptile from North America and associate it with bacterial infection in an organism that is characterized by reduced tooth replacement. Analysis of the surface and internal mandibular structure using mechanical and CT-scanning techniques permits the reconstruction of events that led to the pathology and the possible death of the individual. The infection probably occurred as a result of prolonged exposure of the dental pulp cavity to oral bacteria, and this exposure was caused by injury to the tooth in an animal that is characterized by reduced tooth replacement cycles. In these early reptiles, the reduction in tooth replacement is an evolutionary innovation associated with strong implantation and increased oral processing. The dental abscess observed in L. hamatus, the oldest known infection in a terrestrial vertebrate, provides clear evidence of the ancient association between terrestrial vertebrates and their oral bacteria.

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Publisher Full Text

Authors

Reisz RR, Scott DM, Pynn BR, Modesto SP

Institution

Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Rd. N, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada. robert.reisz@utoronto.ca

Source

Die Naturwissenschaften 98:6 2011 Jun pg 551-5

MeSH

Bacterial Infections
Biological Evolution
Fossils
Osteomyelitis
Stomatognathic Diseases

Pub Type(s)

Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Language

eng

PubMed ID

21499814