The study of a long-necked dinosaur found that the animal suffered from a respiratory infection before it died. This, then, is the first evidence of the disease found in dinosaurs so far.
According to the analysis, the dinosaur that lived about 150 million years ago was between 15 and 20 years old when it died. The creature was a diplodocid herbivore, measuring about 18 meters in length, and suffered from many flu-like symptoms such as cough and fever.
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The creature was named Dolly, in honor of singer Dolly Parton. The remains found in the 1990s in southwestern Montana in the United States are a complete skull and some neck vertebrae. It was not possible to determine whether the dinosaur was male or female.
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The researchers were able to discover the respiratory infection by analyzing three bones in Dolly’s neck, finding abnormal bumps with an irregular shape and texture. With the help of CT scan technology, they discovered an infection in the air sacs, which had possibly spread to the neck.
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Cause of infection
According to paleontologists, the disease may have been caused by a fungal infection similar to aspergillosis, which is quite common in modern birds and reptiles. When aspergillosis is left untreated, it can be fatal to birds.
In addition, scientists say that the environment of the place where the dinosaur lived may have contributed to the development of the disease, as there was a marine current leaving the northern region towards Canada.
Even before the discovery of respiratory infection, paleontologists have already discovered other types of diseases in dinosaurs, such as an infection similar to tuberculosis and cancer, for example.
Source: CNN, Scientific Reports
