First reported archaeological case of leprosy in Slovakia

In 2009 and 2010, a rescue excavation at Nitra-Selenec II (Slovakia) was carried out by the Institute of Archaeology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences. A medieval cemetery dated to the end of 11th century was discovered, yielding 72 individuals, including the skeleton of young female manifesting skeletal changes consistent with leprosy. The lesions of rhino-maxillary syndrome (facies leprosa) were observed together with atrophied/tapered metatarsal bones of "licked candy" appearance. In addition, cribra orbitalia, cribra cranii, bilateral periostitis of distal ends of the tibiae and fibulae, and vertebral hypervascularization were recorded. The results of light microscopic investigation agreed with the macroscopic diagnosis of leprosy. Reported cases of leprosy from eastern central Europe are few, coming mostly from the region of present-day Hungary. Until recently, only three probable cases of leprosy (all dated to pre-Crusade Middle Ages) were discovered in the area of former Czechoslovakia, all of them discovered in the modern Czech Republic. The case from the late 11th century, presented in this paper, can be considered the first evidence of the disease in the region of Slovakia.