New evidence of Entamoeba histolytica infections in pre-Columbian and colonial cemeteries in the Caribbean.

ELISA was used to test the presence of the human pathogenic amoeba Entamoeba histolytica in archaeological samples from 2 cemeteries in Guadeloupe, in the Caribbean. Results show that 15.9% of the population was infected during the colonial period, a value comparable to the current rates observed in humans in adjacent countries. This study also confirms the presence of the current strain of E. histolytica in pre-Columbian South America before the European colonization in the 15th century and raises the possibility of an earlier transfer from Europe to the Americas.

Identification of Taenia sp. in a natural human mummy (third century BC) from the Chehrabad salt mine in Iran.

Tapeworm eggs from the genus Taenia sp. were identified during the study of mummy remains dated to 2,286 ± 28 BP from the Chehrabad salt mine in northwestern Iran. The presence of tapeworm in this salt mine provides paleopathological information. Moreover, it brings new information on ancient diet, indicating the consumption of raw or undercooked meat. Cultural aspects as well as archaeozoological data are discussed in order to try to detail meat consumption. Paleoparasitological data are rare in the Middle East, and this case study presents the first recovery of parasites in ancient Iran. It constitutes the earliest evidence of ancient intestinal parasites in this country and contributes to the knowledge of gastrointestinal pathogens in the Near East.

Food, parasites, and epidemiological transitions: A broad perspective.

Pathoecology provides unique frameworks for understanding disease transmission in ancient populations. Analyses of Old and New World archaeological samples contribute empirically to our understanding of parasite infections. Combining archaeological and anthropological data, we gain insights about health, disease, and the way ancient people lived and interacted with each other and with their environments. Here we present Old and New World parasite evidence, emphasizing how such information reflects the different ways ancient populations exploited diverse environments and became infected with zoonotic parasites. It is clear that the most common intestinal helminths (worm endoparasites) were already infecting ancient inhabitants of the New World prior to the European conquest, although not so intensely as in ancient Europe. The first paleoepidemiological transition from hunting-gathering to agriculture did not change the zoonotic infection pattern of people in the Americas. However, the same transition in Europe resulted in increased zoonotic parasitism with parasites from domestic animals. Therefore, there is a demonstrable difference in the impact of the first paleoepidemiologic transition in the Americas compared to Europe.

Paleoparasitological analysis of samples from the Chehrabad salt mine (Northwestern Iran).

Paleoparasitological analyses were performed on soil samples recovered from an ancient salt mine in Chehrabad, northwestern Iran (2500 and 1500 years BP). Parasite extraction led to the recovery of a large variety of human and animal parasites, including whipworm (Trichuris sp.), roundworm (Ascaris sp.), tapeworm (Taenia sp. or Echinococcus sp.), lancet liver fluke (Dicrocoelium sp.), and horse and human pinworm (Oxyuris equi and Enterobius vermicularis). These results are among the first positive traces of ancient parasitism in Iran, and the analyses carried out on the Chehrabad salt mine thus contribute to the establishment of an ancient parasite database in this country. They also provide additional information about the lifeway of ancient miners, health, sanitary conditions, diet, as well as human and animal relationships during mining activities. Moreover, these results contribute to our knowledge of ancient parasitism in the Middle East, a key region for parasite history and host/parasite relationships.

First World War German soldier intestinal worms: an original study of a trench latrine in France.

For the first time in the study of ancient parasites, analyses were carried out on samples taken from a First World War settlement in France (Geispolsheim, region of Alsace). Microscopic examination of sediment samples revealed the presence of 3 common human parasites, i.e., Trichuris trichiura , Ascaris lumbricoides , and Taenia sp. A review of paleoparasitological studies in Europe shows that these 3 parasites have infected humanity for centuries. Despite this recurrence, literature shows that knowledge regarding many helminths was limited, and their life cycles were only relatively recently elucidated. Finally, the present study provides additional information about the health of the German soldiers and the sanitary conditions in the trenches during the first modern world conflict.

Dioctophymidae eggs in coprolites from Neolithic site of Arbon-Bleiche 3 (Switzerland).

Dioctophymidae eggs were found in human coprolites dated from 3,384 to 3,370 BC from the site Arbon-Bleiche 3, Switzerland. This is the first record of dioctophymiasis in archaeological material. The important percentage of this disease in the studied coprolites raises the question of a higher prevalence during the Neolithic than at present.