Table 2.

Differential diagnosis of tuberculosis in individual A from “Casa del Fabbro”. nd: characteristic not determinable.

Lesion	Individual A	Actinomycosis	Tuberculosis	Brucellosis	Osteoporosis	Metastatic neoplasia	Pyogenic osteomyelitis
Spinous process and neural arch are involved71,73	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Large and spheroid lesions surrounded by reactive new bone72	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
First affects the peduncles70	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No
Vertebral fracture73	No	No	Possible	No	Yes	No	No
Demineralization73	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No
Vertebral bodies in lumbar tract affected71,73,74	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Collapse of vertebral bodies and angular deformity74	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
At least two adjacent vertebrae affected in most of cases71	nd	No	Yes	No	No	No	Yes
Sign of Pedro-i-Pons74	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No