Watch pics of Incan girl who had been frozen for 500 years

New Delhi: A frozen Incan mummy known as ‘The Maiden' has been well preserved for 500 years. The mummy has been so incredibly preserved that there were still lice in her hair. The older girl's face - which showed red ochre markings - was creased from the place it rested on her shawlIt was suffering from a bacterial infection when she died – and being able to ‘diagnose' the disease could lead to new insights into diseases of the past. The mummy was suffering from an illness similar to tuberculosis when she was sacrificed on the Argentinian volcano Llullaillaco, 22,100 feet above sea level. The discovery could help defend against new illnesses – or the re-emergence of diseases of the past. The mummy would help in solving some of history's biggest mysteries such as the reasons why the flu of 1918 was so devastating. It will also enhance the understanding of future's greatest threats, such as the emergence of new infectious agents or re-emergence of known infectious diseases. The find – using a new technique of swabbing the lips and comparing the swabs with those of current patients – is the first time a disease has been ‘diagnosed' in such an ancient body. The team wiped the lips of two Andean Inca mummies, buried at 22,000-feet elevation and originally discovered in 1999, and compared the proteins they found to large databases of the human genome. They found that the protein profile from the mummy of a 15-year old girl, called ‘The Maiden,' was similar to that of chronic respiratory infection patients. The analysis of the DNA showed the presence of probably pathogenic bacteria in the genus Mycobacterium, responsible for upper respiratory tract infections and tuberculosis. In addition, X-rays of the lungs of the Maiden showed signs of lung infection at the time of death. The burial site of the three children on top of Llullaillaco VolcanoProteomics, DNA, and x-rays from another mummy found together with the Maiden did not show signs of respiratory infection. The trio - whose selection was a great honour - were brought to the summit of Mount Llullaillco in the Andes which lies near the Chilean border where they were put to death in a ritual called capacochaIt's thought that the children were chosen by the Incas for their beauty and sacrificed in a ceremony called a capacocha. The children were plucked from these slopes near Llullaillaco volcano in 1999 by a team who battled for three days through driving blizzards and 70mph winds to reach the summitThe ideology behind Child sacrifice is that it is often performed to placate certain Gods. The mummies who were deep frozen rather than embalmed, were also found with an extraordinary collection of elaborate gold, silver and shell statues, textiles and pots containing food