Archaeoparasitological Analysis of Samples from the Cultural Layer of Nadym Gorodok dated Back to the 14th-Late 18th Centuries

An archaeoparasitological analysis of the soil samples from Nadym Gorodok site of Western Siberia has been carried out in this study. The archaeological site was dated as the 13 to 18th century, being characterized as permafrost region ensuring good preservation of ancient parasite eggs. Parasite eggs as Opisthorchis felineus, Alaria alata, and Diphyllobothrium sp. were found in the archaeological soil samples, which made clear about the detailed aspects of Nadym Gorodok people's life. We found the Diphyllobothrium sp. eggs throughout the 14 to 18th century specimens, allowing us to presume that raw or undercooked fish might have been commonly used for the foods of Nadym Gorodok inhabitants and their dogs for at least the past 400 years. Our study on Nadym Gorodok specimens also demonstrate that there might have been migratory interactions and strong economic ties between the people and society in Western Siberia, based on archaeoparasitological results of Opisthorchis felineus in Western Siberia.

Application of Autofluorescence for Confocal Microscopy to Aid in Archaeoparasitological Analyses

Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) was used to examine archaeoparasitological specimens from coprolites associated with La Cueva de los Muertos Chiquitos (CMC) located near present-day Durango, Mexico. The eggs for 4 different types of parasites recovered from CMC coprolites were imaged using CLSM to assist with identification efforts. While some of the parasite eggs recovered from CMC coprolites were readily identified using standard light microscopy (LM), CLSM provided useful data for more challenging identifications by highlighting subtle morphological features and enhancing visualization of parasite egg anatomy. While other advanced microscopy techniques, such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), may also detect cryptic identifying characters, CLSM is less destructive to the specimens. Utilizing CLSM allows for subsequent examinations, such as molecular analyses, that cannot be performed following SEM sample preparation and imaging. Furthermore, CLSM detects intrinsic autofluorescence molecules, making improved identification independent of resource and time-intensive protocols. These aspects of CLSM make it an excellent method for assisting in taxonomic identification and for acquiring more detailed images of archaeoparasitological specimens.

Comparison of Helminth Infection among the Native Populations of the Arctic and Subarctic Areas in Western Siberia Throughout History: Parasitological Researches on Contemporary and the Archaeological Resources

The aim of this parasitological study is examining contemporary (the late 20th century) specimens of the arctic or subarctic areas in Western Siberia and comparing them with the information acquired from archaeological samples from the same area. In the contemporary specimens, we observed the parasite eggs of 3 different species: Opisthochis felineus, Ascaris lumbricoides, and Enterobius vermicularis. Meanwhile, in archaeoparasitological results of Vesakoyakha, Kikki-Akki, and Nyamboyto I burial grounds, the eggs of Diphyllobothrium and Taenia spp. were found while no nematode (soil-transmitted) eggs were observed in the same samples. In this study, we concluded helminth infection pattern among the arctic and subarctic peoples of Western Siberia throughout history as follows: the raw fish-eating tradition did not undergo radical change in the area at least since the 18th century; and A. lumbricoides or E. vermicularis did not infect the inhabitants of this area before 20th century. With respect to the Western Siberia, we caught glimpse of the parasite infection pattern prevalent therein via investigations on contemporary and archaeoparasitological specimens.

Pinworm Infection at Salmon Ruins and Aztec Ruins: Relation to Pueblo III Regional Violence

The study of coprolites has been a theme of archaeology in the American Southwest. A feature of archaeoparasitology on the Colorado Plateau is the ubiquity of pinworm infection. As a crowd parasite, this ubiquity signals varying concentrations of populations. Our recent analysis of coprolite deposits from 2 sites revealed the highest prevalence of infection ever recorded for the region. For Salmon Ruins, the deposits date from AD 1140 to 1280. For Aztec Ruins, the samples can be dated by artifact association between AD 1182–1253. Both sites can be placed in the Ancestral Pueblo III occupation (AD 1100–1300), which included a period of cultural stress associated with warfare. Although neither of these sites show evidence of warfare, they are typical of large, defensible towns that survived this time of threat by virtue of large populations in stonewalled villages with easily accessible water. We hypothesize that the concentration of large numbers of people promoted pinworm infection and, therefore, explains the phenomenal levels of infection at these sites.

Taenia sp. in human burial from Kan River, East Siberia

We present an arhaeoparasitological analysis of a unique burial from the Neftprovod II burial ground in East Siberia, which dated from the Bronze Age. Analysis of a sediment sample from the sacral region of the pelvis revealed the presence of Taenia sp. eggs. Because uncooked animal tissue is the primary source of Taenia, this indicated that the individual was likely consuming raw or undercooked meat of roe deer, red deer, or elk infected with Taenia. This finding represents the oldest case of a human infected with Taenia sp. from Eastern Siberia and Russia.

Assessing the Archaeoparasitological Potential of Quids As a Source Material for Immunodiagnostic Analyses

In the present study, quids from La Cueva de los Muertos Chiquitos (CMC) were subjected to ELISA tests for 2 protozoan parasites, Toxoplasma gondii (n=45) and Trypanosoma cruzi (n=43). The people who occupied CMC, the Loma San Gabriel, lived throughout much of present-day Durango and Zacatecas in Mexico. The known pathoecology of these people puts them into at-risk categories for the transmission of T. gondii and T. cruzi. Human antibodies created in response to these 2 parasites can be detected in modern saliva using ELISA kits intended for use with human serum. For these reasons, quids were reconstituted and subjected to ELISA testing. All test wells yielded negative results. These results could be a factor of improper methods because there is no precedence for this work in the existing literature. The results could equally be a simple matter of parasite absence among those people who occupied CMC. A final consideration is the taphonomy of human antibodies and whether or not ELISA is a sufficient method for recovering antibodies from archaeological contexts. An additional ELISA test targeting secretory IgA (sIgA) was conducted to further examine the failure to detect parasite-induced antibodies from quids. Herein, the methods used for quid preparation and ELISA procedures are described so that they can be further developed by future researchers. The results are discussed in light of the potential future of quid analysis.

A produção do conhecimento em Paleoparasitologia: uma análise bibliométrica e epistêmica / The production of knowledge in paleoparasitology: a bibliometric analysis and epistemic

O debate sobre os modelos explicativos do processo saúde-doença abarca desde dimensões dabiologia dos seres vivos, até a dinâmica social e as práticas culturais, sendo informado pordiferentes campos disciplinares, tais como biologia, sociologia, antropologia, economia etc.Este debate não é amparado apenas nos estudos de contextos atuais, mas também de elementosque evidenciam traços da presença humana ancestral e articulam a reconstrução de antigoscenários da dinâmica saúde-doença das populações, por meio de vestígios biológicos ousocioculturais. Nessa perspectiva, surge ao final da década de 1970 a Paleoparasitologia, ciênciadedicada ao estudo de parasitoses em populações ancestrais por intermédio de materialarqueológico e fóssil. Ainda que os trabalhos iniciais apresentassem achados de caráterprincipalmente descritivos, o uso atual de métodos epidemiológicos e técnicas molecularesproporciona uma análise mais abrangente na conjugação de dados arqueológicos a modelosecológicos e culturais pré-históricos sobre doenças. O objetivo principal deste estudo consistiuem demonstrar como se configurou a Paleoparasitologia, por meio do exame de sua produçãoacadêmica em artigos ao longo dos primeiros trinta anos de seu estabelecimento (1980-2009).O estudo serviu-se de perspectivas bibliométricas e epistêmicas como ferramentascomplementares na análise identitária de seu domínio de saber. A avaliação quantitativa e omapeamento de redes colaborativas foram conduzidos com base em métodos da bibliometria ecientometria...

Como complemento, e visando examinar o caráter epistemológico daPaleoparasitologia, o conjunto de dados foi submetido a um método desenvolvido com base nodiscurso de segunda ordem (ou metaciência) proposto por Imre Lakatos, sua Metodologia dosProgramas de Pesquisa Científica. Diversamente às apreciações correntes, que ora a evocamcomo especialidade da Parasitologia, ora a consideram como ramo da Paleopatologia, a análiserealizada produziu indícios de que a Paleoparasitologia possui elementos constitutivos que aclassificam como disciplina própria, ou como ciência, na visão lakatosiana de Programa dePesquisa Científica...