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Theo de Jong studied a number of Medieval horse skeletons from Eindhoven with this sort of condition. The fusion of the vertebrae was very extensive. I don't know where/if he has published this material. Regards, Marsha Levine On Aug 17 2005, Erik Filean wrote: > > >In a message dated 8/17/2005 7:30:53 A.M. Central Daylight Time, >[log in to unmask] writes: > > As part of a course on human palaeopathology I ran into a condition > called Ankylosing Spondylitis. I believe this has been referred to from > time to time in animal palaeopathology as well, however the aetiology of > the condition in humans was believed to be associated with the tissue > HLA-B27. There was some debate about whether such a tissue is also found > in animals and thus, should we be using this terminology for conditions > in animals? The term is often equated with 'bamboo spine', a description > also used to describe the ankylosis of the vertebrae in humans, but is it > truly the same condition or not? Does anyone have any ideas? > > > > This is a tough question to answer, because it appears that there is no > consensus as to the cause of the condition in some animals. A few months > ago, I had posted here about a case of ankylosing spondylitis in L5-L6 of > a 10-year-old male horse from Roman Nijmegen; the responses were > informative, but not conclusive. In horses, it appears that many regard > ankylosing spondylitis as a pathology, albeit one that may appear more > frequently and in more advanced states in riding animals or riding > breeds. Melanie Wilson did point out, though, that the condition may > serve to reinforce the rear of the spine and has been considered > desirable in certain breeds of Spanish military horse and their modern > descendants. > > I've more recently seen another case of ankylosing spondylitis of L5-L6 > in a modern male horse donated to our comparative collection (University > of Iowa). I don't know the breed, but the veterinarian who provided it > works with many show horses, so it was very possibly another riding > animal. The animal was comparatively young, though; the mandibular > canines were erupting at the time of death. > >In case they're of any use, here are some archaeological and veterinary >references for horses: > > > BARTOSIEWICZ, LASZLO, AND BARTOSIEWICZ, GABOR. 2002. "Bamboo spine" in a > migration period horse from Hungary. Journal of Archaeological Science > 29: 819-30. JEFFCOT, L. B. 1978. Disorders of the equine thoracolumbar > spine - a review. Journal of Equine Medicine and Surgery 2: 9-19. > JEFFCOT, L. B. 1979. Back problems in the horse - a look at past, present > and future progress. Equine Veterinary Journal 3: 129-36. JEFFCOT, L. B. > 1980. Disorders of the thoracolumbar spine of the horse - a survey of 443 > cases. Equine Veterinary Journal 12: 197-210. JEFFCOT, L. B., AND DALIN, > G. 1980. Natural rigidity of the horse's backbone. Equine Veterinary > Journal 12: 101-8. STECHER, R. M. 1961. Ankylosing lesions of the spine > of the horse. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 138: > 248-55. TOWNSEND, H. G. G., AND LEACH, D. H. 1982. Relationship between > intervertebral joint morphology and mobility in the equine thoracolumbar > spine. Equine Veterinary Journal 16: 461-65. Best, Erik > > >"...and those that would not bond with us, we ate." >- Harry, Third Rock from the Sun - > > > > > > > > -- Dr. Marsha Levine, McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3ER, England phone: +44 (0)1223-339347 / fax: +44 (0)1223-339285 http://www.arch.cam.ac.uk/~ml12/