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"The holes in tyrannosaur jaws occur in exactly the same place as in modern birds with trichomonosis," said Ewan Wolff, a paleontologist from the University of Wisconsin-Madison who worked on the study.
"The shape of the holes and the way that they merge into the surrounding bone is very similar in both animals," Wolff said.
Trichomonosis is carried mainly by pigeons these days, but they are generally immune to the disease. Birds of prey are particularly susceptible to trichomonosis if they eat infected pigeons.
Paleontologists previously thought the holes in T.rex were caused by tooth gouges or bacterial infections, but according to the study, which was published in the peer-reviewed open-access PLoS ONE, the position and nature of the holes indicate that the dinosaur had a trichomonosis-type disease.
The disease appeared to be quite common in tyrannosaurs and could have been deadly to those that were infected.
"As the parasites take hold in serious infections, lesions form around the jaw and inside the throat, eventually eating away the bone. As the lesions grow, the animal has trouble swallowing food and may eventually starve to death," said Steve Salisbury of the University of Queensland.
Researchers have found no other dinosaurs that had the disease, and believe it was spread between tyrannosaurs by biting or even through cannibalism.
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"The shape of the holes and the way that they merge into the surrounding bone is very similar in both animals," Wolff said.
Trichomonosis is carried mainly by pigeons these days, but they are generally immune to the disease. Birds of prey are particularly susceptible to trichomonosis if they eat infected pigeons.
Paleontologists previously thought the holes in T.rex were caused by tooth gouges or bacterial infections, but according to the study, which was published in the peer-reviewed open-access PLoS ONE, the position and nature of the holes indicate that the dinosaur had a trichomonosis-type disease.
The disease appeared to be quite common in tyrannosaurs and could have been deadly to those that were infected.
"As the parasites take hold in serious infections, lesions form around the jaw and inside the throat, eventually eating away the bone. As the lesions grow, the animal has trouble swallowing food and may eventually starve to death," said Steve Salisbury of the University of Queensland.
Researchers have found no other dinosaurs that had the disease, and believe it was spread between tyrannosaurs by biting or even through cannibalism.
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