Evidence of vector-borne disease in dinosaurs?

[Tim Williams <twilliams_alpha@hotmail.com>]

Poinar, G., Jr and Poinar, R. (2004).  Evidence of vector-borne disease of 
Early Cretaceous reptiles.  Vector Borne and Zoonotic Diseases. 4: 281-284

Abstract: "A blood-filled sand fly, _Palaeomyia burmitis_, was recently 
described from Early Cretaceous Burmese amber.  Within the alimentary canal 
of this sand fly were the amastigotes and promastigotes of a digenetic 
leishmanial trypanosomatid.  Inside the lumen of the thoracic midgut of the 
fossil sand fly were nucleated blood cells, some of which were intact and 
others in various stages of lysis and disintegration.  The present study 
identifies these blood cells as reptilian and describes putative developing 
amastigotes inside spherical to oval whitish vacuoles within some of the 
fossil blood cells.  The significance of this find is discussed, especially 
regarding the high possibility that Cretaceous dinosaurs were infected by 
trypanosomatids."

In the Appendix of this paper is a brief description of how dinosaur DNA was 
extracted from the blood cells, and used to clone a living sauropod 
dinosaur.  The sauropod was kept in a pen behind the research lab.



Just kidding.  (The paper is real though.)



Tim