Reconstructing the Life of an Unknown (ca. 500 Years-Old South American Inca) Mummy – Multidisciplinary Study of a Peruvian Inca Mummy Suggests Severe Chagas Disease and Ritual Homicide

The paleopathological, paleoradiological, histological, molecular and forensic investigation of a female mummy (radiocarbon dated 1451–1642 AD) provides circumstantial evidence for massive skull trauma affecting a young adult female individual shortly before death along with chronic infection by Trypanosoma cruzi (Chagas disease). The mummy (initially assumed to be a German bog body) was localized by stable isotope analysis to South America at/near the Peruvian/Northern Chilean coast line. This is further supported by New World camelid fibers attached to her plaits, typical Inca-type skull deformation and the type of Wormian bone at her occiput. Despite an only small transverse wound of the supraorbital region computed tomography scans show an almost complete destruction of face and frontal skull bones with terrace-like margins, but without evidence for tissue reaction. The type of destruction indicates massive blunt force applied to the center of the face. Stable isotope analysis indicates South American origin: Nitrogen and hydrogen isotope patterns indicate an extraordinarily high marine diet along with C4-plant alimentation which fits best to the coastal area of Pacific South America. A hair strand over the last ten months of her life indicates a shift to a more “terrestric” nutrition pattern suggesting either a move from the coast or a change in her nutrition. Paleoradiology further shows extensive hypertrophy of the heart muscle and a distended large bowel/rectum. Histologically, in the rectum wall massive fibrosis alternates with residual smooth muscle. The latter contains multiple inclusions of small intracellular parasites as confirmed by immunohistochemical and molecular ancient DNA analysis to represent a chronic Trypanosoma cruzi infection. This case shows a unique paleopathological setting with massive blunt force trauma to the skull nurturing the hypothesis of a ritual homicide as previously described in South American mummies in an individual that suffered from severe chronic Chagas disease.对一具经碳十四测年（radiocarbon dated）为公元1451–1642年的女性木乃伊开展的古病理学（paleopathological）、古放射学（paleoradiological）、组织学（histological）、分子生物学（molecular）及法医（forensic）研究，为这名年轻成年女性个体死前不久遭受严重颅骨创伤，以及感染克氏锥虫（Trypanosoma cruzi，恰加斯病（Chagas disease））慢性感染提供了间接证据。该木乃伊最初被认为是德国沼泽木乃伊，经稳定同位素分析（stable isotope analysis）定位至南美洲秘鲁/智利北部海岸区域。附着于其发辫的新世界驼科（New World camelid）纤维、典型印加型颅骨变形以及枕部缝间骨（Wormian bone）的特征进一步佐证了这一点。尽管眶上区域（supraorbital region）仅存在一处细小横向伤口，但计算机断层扫描（computed tomography，CT）结果显示其面部及额骨几乎完全破坏，边缘呈阶状，但未发现组织反应的迹象。这种破坏类型表明，其面部中心曾遭受巨大钝性暴力打击。稳定同位素分析结果表明其起源于南美洲：氮同位素与氢同位素模式显示其饮食中海洋来源食物占比极高，同时伴随C4植物摄入，这与南美太平洋沿岸区域的饮食特征高度契合。对其生前最后十个月的发丝分析显示，其营养模式转向更偏向陆生来源，这暗示她要么从海岸地区迁徙而来，要么饮食结构发生了改变。古放射学检查还显示其存在广泛的心肌肥大（hypertrophy of the heart muscle）以及大肠/直肠扩张。组织学观察显示，直肠壁存在大量纤维化区域与残留平滑肌交替分布的特征；后者内部可见多个小型细胞内寄生虫包涵体，经免疫组织化学（immunohistochemical）与古DNA（ancient DNA，aDNA）分子生物学分析确认，这代表慢性克氏锥虫感染。本案例呈现了一种独特的古病理学特征：颅骨遭受严重钝性创伤，结合该个体曾罹患重度慢性恰加斯病的情况，为此前在南美木乃伊中报道过的仪式性杀人（ritual homicide）假说提供了支持依据。