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Lartigot-Campin AS, Rousseau L, Moné H. Occurrence of Taeniidae in a Middle Pleistocene speleothem of the Bàsura cave (Toirano, Liguria, Italy). INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PALEOPATHOLOGY 2022; 37:60-67. [PMID: 35512547 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2022.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2022] [Revised: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 04/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study aims to (i) analyse whether speleothems may contain fossil parasitic worm eggs and, if so, (ii) identify the pathogens involved, and (iii) place them in geological, palaeontological, and chronological contexts to know the zoonoses that could affect human and animal populations during the Middle Pleistocene. MATERIALS A sample of calcite dated to the beginning of MIS 9 and MIS 8 from the Bàsura cave (Liguria, Italy) was analysed. METHODS The chemical protocol applied is characterised using hydrochloric acid, the reduction of hydrofluoric acid application time, and by the absence of the use of base, dense liquor or acetolysis. RESULTS An embryophore of a taeniid was recovered. CONCLUSIONS Endoparasitic worm eggs can be found in speleothems. A taeniid embryophore was found in a calcite level dated to MIS 9. Zoonoses related to the Taeniidae family existed 300,000 years ago in the northern Mediterranean region and may have affected Middle Pleistocene predators, carnivores, or humans. Speleothems are good tools for paleoparasitological studies. SIGNIFICANCE This is the oldest taeniid recovered and identified. LIMITATIONS A more precise determination of the genus of this taeniid is not possible in the absence of more precise palaeontological data. SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH An application of this approach to other Pleistocene speleothems could broaden the spectrum of parasites and their zoonoses over remote Pleistocene periods.
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Affiliation(s)
- A S Lartigot-Campin
- UMR 7194 HNHP "Histoire Naturelle de l'Homme Préhistorique", Université de Perpignan, CNRS, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Centre Européen de Recherches Préhistoriques de Tautavel, Avenue Léon-Jean Grégory, 66720 Tautavel, France.
| | - L Rousseau
- UMR 7194 HNHP "Histoire Naturelle de l'Homme Préhistorique", Département "Homme et Environnement", Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Institut de Paléontologie Humaine, Rue René Panhard, 75013 Paris, France
| | - H Moné
- UMR 5244 IHPE "Interactions Hôtes-Pathogènes-Environnements", Université de Montpellier, CNRS, IFREMER, Université de Perpignan Via Domitia, Bâtiment R, Avenue Paul Alduy, 66860 Perpignan, France.
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Cardia DFF, Bertini RJ, Camossi LG, Richini-Pereira VB, Losnak DO, Francischini H, Dentzien-Dias P. Paleoparasitological analysis of a coprolite assigned to a carnivoran mammal from the Upper Pleistocene Touro Passo Formation, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. AN ACAD BRAS CIENC 2021; 93:e20190876. [PMID: 34105692 DOI: 10.1590/0001-3765202120190876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2019] [Accepted: 12/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
A paleoparasitological analysis was carried out on a large coprolite assigned to a carnivoran mammal, recovered from the Municipality of Uruguaiana, in the western region of the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, where the Upper Pleistocene Touro Passo Formation crops out. For this, an individual sample was extracted from the specimen using an electric drill, dissociated with 10% hydrochloric acid solution, washed with distilled water, and sifted through a 500 mesh Tyler sieve. After laboratory processing, the sediment retained on the sieve was mixed with glycerin and examined by optical microscopy, which revealed the presence of 14 protozoan oocysts and three nematode eggs. The morphological characteristics of the oocysts (i.e., spherical shape, thick-walled, internal zygote apparently at the beginning of sporulation, as well as their size) and of the eggs (i.e., ovoidal shape, rounded ends, smooth surface, thin-shelled, embryo in their interior, along with their morphometry) suggest that these specimens belong respectively to the orders Eucoccidiorida and Strongylida (Family Ancylostomatidae) represented by several parasitic species of the alimentary tract of modern carnivore. This is the first record of paleoparasites discovered in a vertebrate host from the Touro Passo Formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel F F Cardia
- UNESP, Núcleo de Evolução e Paleobiologia de Vertebrados, Departamento de Geologia Aplicada, Instituto de Geociências e Ciências Exatas, Campus Rio Claro, Av. 24 A, 1515, 13506-900 Rio Claro, SP, Brazil
| | - Reinaldo J Bertini
- UNESP, Núcleo de Evolução e Paleobiologia de Vertebrados, Departamento de Geologia Aplicada, Instituto de Geociências e Ciências Exatas, Campus Rio Claro, Av. 24 A, 1515, 13506-900 Rio Claro, SP, Brazil
| | - Lucilene G Camossi
- UNESP, Núcleo de Evolução e Paleobiologia de Vertebrados, Departamento de Geologia Aplicada, Instituto de Geociências e Ciências Exatas, Campus Rio Claro, Av. 24 A, 1515, 13506-900 Rio Claro, SP, Brazil
| | - Virgínia B Richini-Pereira
- Instituto Adolfo Lutz, Núcleo de Ciências Biomédicas, CLR II, R. Rubens Arruda, Q6, 17015-110 Bauru, SP, Brazil
| | - Debora O Losnak
- Instituto Adolfo Lutz, Núcleo de Ciências Biomédicas, CLR II, R. Rubens Arruda, Q6, 17015-110 Bauru, SP, Brazil
| | - Heitor Francischini
- Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Geociências, Instituto de Geociências, UFRGS, Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9500, 91540-000 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Paula Dentzien-Dias
- Universidade Federal do Rio Grande (FURG), Laboratório de Geologia e Paleontologia, Instituto de Oceanografia, Av. Itália, Km 8, 96201-900 Rio Grande, RS, Brazil
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CARDIA DANIELF, BERTINI REINALDOJ, CAMOSSI LUCILENEG, LETIZIO LUIZA. First record of Acanthocephala parasites eggs in coprolites preliminary assigned to Crocodyliformes from the Adamantina Formation (Bauru Group, Upper Cretaceous), São Paulo, Brazil. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019; 91Suppl. 2:e20170848. [DOI: 10.1590/0001-3765201920170848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2017] [Accepted: 09/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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4
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Archaeological occurrences and historical review of the human amoeba, Entamoeba histolytica, over the past 6000years. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2016; 42:34-40. [DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2016.04.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2016] [Revised: 04/20/2016] [Accepted: 04/24/2016] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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Abstract
Parasite finds in ancient material launched a new field of science: palaeoparasitology. Ever since the pioneering studies, parasites were identified in archaeological and palaeontological remains, some preserved for millions of years by fossilization. However, the palaeoparasitological record consists mainly of parasites found specifically in human archaeological material, preserved in ancient occupation sites, from prehistory until closer to 2015. The results include some helminth intestinal parasites still commonly found in 2015, such as Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura and hookworms, besides others such as Amoebidae and Giardia intestinalis, as well as viruses, bacteria, fungi and arthropods. These parasites as a whole provide important data on health, diet, climate and living conditions among ancient populations. This chapter describes the principal findings and their importance for knowledge on the origin and dispersal of infectious diseases.
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Faulkner CT, Reinhard KJ. A retrospective examination of paleoparasitology and its establishment in the Journal of Parasitology. J Parasitol 2014; 100:253-9. [PMID: 24588553 DOI: 10.1645/13-485.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Volume 95 (2009) of the Journal of Parasitology represented a significant benchmark in the history of paleoparasitology when it received on the cover formal recognition as a topical area for publication. This retrospective examination chronicles the emergence of paleoparasitology, from its origins as an adjunct contribution to the study of prehistoric human populations to its modern expression as a sub-disciplinary interest. The aim of paleoparasitology is to elucidate the temporal and spatial dimensions of parasitism from the fossil record of human and non-human host populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles T Faulkner
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Lincoln Memorial University, Harrogate, Tennessee 37752
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Mowlavi G, Kacki S, Dupouy-Camet J, Mobedi I, Makki M, Harandi MF, Naddaf SR. Probable hepatic capillariosis and hydatidosis in an adolescent from the late Roman period buried in Amiens (France). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 21:9. [PMID: 24572211 PMCID: PMC3936287 DOI: 10.1051/parasite/2014010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2013] [Accepted: 02/13/2014] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Two calcified objects recovered from a 3rd to 4th-century grave of an adolescent in Amiens (Northern France) were identified as probable hydatid cysts. By using thin-section petrographic techniques, probable Calodium hepaticum (syn. Capillaria hepatica) eggs were identified in the wall of the cysts. Human hepatic capillariosis has not been reported from archaeological material so far, but could be expected given the poor level of environmental hygiene prevalent in this period. Identification of tissue-dwelling parasites such as C. hepaticum in archaeological remains is particularly dependent on preservation conditions and taphonomic changes and should be interpreted with caution due to morphological similarities with Trichuris sp. eggs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gholamreza Mowlavi
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, PO Box 6446, Tehran 14155, Iran - Center for Research of Endemic Parasites of Iran (CREPI), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, PO Box 6446, Tehran 14155, Iran
| | - Sacha Kacki
- PACEA, UMR 5199, Anthropologie des Populations Passées et Présentes, Université de Bordeaux, Bâtiment B8, Allée Geoffroy St Hilaire, CS 50023, 33615 Pessac Cedex, France
| | - Jean Dupouy-Camet
- Service de Parasitologie-Mycologie, Hôpital Cochin Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, Université Paris Descartes, 27 Faubourg St Jacques, 75014 Paris, France
| | - Iraj Mobedi
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, PO Box 6446, Tehran 14155, Iran
| | - Mahsasadat Makki
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, PO Box 6446, Tehran 14155, Iran
| | - Majid Fasihi Harandi
- Research Center for Hydatid Disease in Iran, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman 76169-14111, Iran
| | - Saied Reza Naddaf
- Department of Parasitology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, 69 Pasteur Avenue, Tehran 13169-43551, Iran
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Camacho M, Pessanha T, Leles D, Dutra JMF, Silva R, Souza SMD, Araujo A. Lutz's spontaneous sedimentation technique and the paleoparasitological analysis of sambaqui (shell mound) sediments. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 2014; 108:155-9. [PMID: 23579793 DOI: 10.1590/0074-0276108022013005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2012] [Accepted: 07/20/2012] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Parasite findings in sambaquis (shell mounds) are scarce. Although the 121 shell mound samples were previously analysed in our laboratory, we only recently obtained the first positive results. In the sambaqui of Guapi, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, paleoparasitological analysis was performed on sediment samples collected from various archaeological layers, including the superficial layer as a control. Eggs of Acanthocephala, Ascaridoidea and Heterakoidea were found in the archaeological layers. We applied various techniques and concluded that Lutz's spontaneous sedimentation technique is effective for concentrating parasite eggs in sambaqui soil for microscopic analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgana Camacho
- Laboratório de Paleoparasitologia, Departamento de Endemias Samuel Pessoa, Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública Sergio Arouca, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
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Nezamabadi M, Mashkour M, Aali A, Stöllner T, Le Bailly M. Identification ofTaeniasp. in a Natural Human Mummy (Third Century BC) from the Chehrabad Salt Mine in Iran. J Parasitol 2013; 99:570-2. [DOI: 10.1645/12-113.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
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McCONNELL SM, ZAVADA MS. The occurrence of an abdominal fauna in an articulated tapir (Tapirus polkensis) from the Late Miocene Gray Fossil Site, northeastern Tennessee. Integr Zool 2013; 8:74-83. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-4877.2012.00320.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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11
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Jenkins EJ, Castrodale LJ, de Rosemond SJ, Dixon BR, Elmore SA, Gesy KM, Hoberg EP, Polley L, Schurer JM, Simard M, Thompson RCA. Tradition and transition: parasitic zoonoses of people and animals in Alaska, northern Canada, and Greenland. ADVANCES IN PARASITOLOGY 2013; 82:33-204. [PMID: 23548085 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-407706-5.00002-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 112] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Zoonotic parasites are important causes of endemic and emerging human disease in northern North America and Greenland (the North), where prevalence of some parasites is higher than in the general North American population. The North today is in transition, facing increased resource extraction, globalisation of trade and travel, and rapid and accelerating environmental change. This comprehensive review addresses the diversity, distribution, ecology, epidemiology, and significance of nine zoonotic parasites in animal and human populations in the North. Based on a qualitative risk assessment with criteria heavily weighted for human health, these zoonotic parasites are ranked, in the order of decreasing importance, as follows: Echinococcus multilocularis, Toxoplasma gondii, Trichinella and Giardia, Echinococcus granulosus/canadensis and Cryptosporidium, Toxocara, anisakid nematodes, and diphyllobothriid cestodes. Recent and future trends in the importance of these parasites for human health in the North are explored. For example, the incidence of human exposure to endemic helminth zoonoses (e.g. Diphyllobothrium, Trichinella, and Echinococcus) appears to be declining, while water-borne protozoans such as Giardia, Cryptosporidium, and Toxoplasma may be emerging causes of human disease in a warming North. Parasites that undergo temperature-dependent development in the environment (such as Toxoplasma, ascarid and anisakid nematodes, and diphyllobothriid cestodes) will likely undergo accelerated development in endemic areas and temperate-adapted strains/species will move north, resulting in faunal shifts. Food-borne pathogens (e.g. Trichinella, Toxoplasma, anisakid nematodes, and diphyllobothriid cestodes) may be increasingly important as animal products are exported from the North and tourists, workers, and domestic animals enter the North. Finally, key needs are identified to better assess and mitigate risks associated with zoonotic parasites, including enhanced surveillance in animals and people, detection methods, and delivery and evaluation of veterinary and public health services.
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Hoberg EP, Galbreath KE, Cook JA, Kutz SJ, Polley L. Northern host-parasite assemblages: history and biogeography on the borderlands of episodic climate and environmental transition. ADVANCES IN PARASITOLOGY 2012; 79:1-97. [PMID: 22726642 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-398457-9.00001-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Diversity among assemblages of mammalian hosts and parasites in northern terrestrial ecosystems was structured by a deep history of biotic and abiotic change that overlies a complex geographic arena. Since the Pliocene, Holarctic ecosystems assembled in response to shifting climates (glacial and interglacial stages). Cycles of episodic dispersal/isolation and diversification defined northern diversity on landscape to regional scales. Episodes of geographic expansion and colonisation linked Eurasia and North America across Beringia and drove macroevolutionary structure of host and parasite associations. Asynchronous dispersal from centres of origin in Eurasia into the Nearctic resulted in gradients in parasite diversity in the carnivoran, lagomorph, rodent and artiodactyl assemblages we reviewed. Recurrent faunal interchange and isolation in conjunction with episodes of host colonisation have produced a mosaic structure for parasite faunas and considerable cryptic diversity among nematodes and cestodes. Mechanisms of invasion and geographic colonisation leading to the establishment of complex faunal assemblages are equivalent in evolutionary and ecological time, as demonstrated by various explorations of diversity in these high-latitude systems. Our ability to determine historical responses to episodic shifts in global climate may provide a framework for predicting the cascading effects of contemporary environmental change.
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Sianto L, Chame M, Silva CS, Gonçalves ML, Reinhard K, Fugassa M, Araújo A. Animal helminths in human archaeological remains: a review of zoonoses in the past. Rev Inst Med Trop Sao Paulo 2009; 51:119-30. [DOI: 10.1590/s0036-46652009000300001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2008] [Accepted: 04/07/2009] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The authors present a review of records of intestinal parasitic helminths from animals in human archaeological remains, reported since the emergence of paleopathological studies. The objective was to relate paleoparasitological findings to geographic, biotic, and abiotic factors from the environment in which the prehistoric populations lived, and understand some aspects related to the process of human dispersion and biological and cultural evolution. Modification of eating habits and the incorporation of new cultural practices are analyzed from the perspective of zoonoses from prehistory to the present day, especially in Brazilian indigenous populations. Three tables identifying the helminths, their natural hosts, dates, and sites of archaeological findings complete this review. In conclusion, various zoonoses known today have occurred since antiquity, and these data, combined with studies on the emergence and reemergence of diseases, could make possible to compose scenarios for the future.
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Dittmar K. Old Parasites for a New World: The Future of Paleoparasitological Research. A Review. J Parasitol 2009; 95:365-71. [DOI: 10.1645/ge-1676.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2008] [Accepted: 08/08/2008] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
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Carlsgart J, Roepstorff A, Nejsum P. Multiplex PCR on single unembryonated Ascaris (roundworm) eggs. Parasitol Res 2008; 104:939-43. [PMID: 19096878 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-008-1307-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2008] [Accepted: 12/02/2008] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
A sensitive and inexpensive method for DNA isolation and amplification by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from single unembryonated Ascaris sp. eggs is described. The resistant shell of single eggs was crushed mechanically and PCR applied to the crude egg contents without any further purification steps. The ITS1 region of the rDNA and three regions of the mtDNA could be successfully amplified. Using two primer sets, it was possible to amplify the rDNA and mtDNA simultaneously in one single reaction. The ability to perform PCR on single unembryonated eggs may result in better and more precise species identification of eggs recovered from faecal material, environmental samples and possibly archaeological samples. In addition, single egg PCR makes it possible to perform population genetic studies without having to recover adult worms by deworming or autopsy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josefine Carlsgart
- Danish Centre for Experimental Parasitology, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Dyrlaegevej 100, 1870 Frederiksberg C, Copenhagen, Denmark
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Fugassa MH, Sardella NH, Denegri GM. Paleoparasitological analysis of a raptor pellet from southern Patagonia. J Parasitol 2007; 93:421-2. [PMID: 17539429 DOI: 10.1645/ge-989r.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Organic remains attributable to one regurgitated pellet were examined. The pellet, belonging to a bird of prey and collected from a cave of Southern Patagonia, was dated at 6,540 +/- 110 yr. With standard paleoparasitological procedures, eggs of Capillaria sp. and a mite, Demodex sp., were found. The parasites found in the pellet belong to a rodent ingested by the bird. The present report constitutes the first paleoparasitological study of a regurgitated pellet.
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Affiliation(s)
- M H Fugassa
- Laboratorio de Zoonosis Parasitarias, Deptamento de Biología, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata-CONICET, Argentina.
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Fugassa MH, Araújo A, Guichón RA. Quantitative paleoparasitology applied to archaeological sediments. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 2006; 101 Suppl 2:29-33. [PMID: 17308806 DOI: 10.1590/s0074-02762006001000006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2006] [Accepted: 10/16/2006] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Three techniques to extract parasite remains from archaeological sediments were tested. The aim was to improve the sensibility of recommended paleoparasitological techniques applied in archaeological remains. Sediment collected from the pelvic girdle of a human body found in Cabo Vírgenes, Santa Cruz, Argentina, associated to a Spanish settlement founded in 1584 known as Nombre de Jesús, was used to search for parasites. Sediment close to the skull was used as control. The techniques recommended by Jones, Reinhard, and Dittmar and Teejen were used and compared with the modified technique presented here, developed to improve the sensibility to detect parasite remains. Positive results were obtained only with the modified technique, resulting in the finding of Trichuris trichiura eggs in the sediment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martín H Fugassa
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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da Rocha GC, Harter-Lailheugue S, Le Bailly M, Araújo A, Ferreira LF, da Serra-Freire NM, Bouchet F. Paleoparasitological remains revealed by seven historic contexts from "Place d'Armes", Namur, Belgium. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 2006; 101 Suppl 2:43-52. [PMID: 17308808 DOI: 10.1590/s0074-02762006001000008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2006] [Accepted: 10/16/2006] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Human occupation for several centuries was recorded in the archaeological layers of "Place d'Armes", Namur, Belgium. Preventive archaeological excavations were carried out between 1996/1997 and seven historical strata were observed, from Gallo-Roman period up to Modern Times. Soil samples from cesspools, latrines, and structures-like were studied and revealed intestinal parasite eggs in the different archaeological contexts. Ascaris lumbricoides, A. suum, Trichuris trichiura, T. suis. Taenia sp., Fasciola hepatica, Diphyllobothrium sp., Capillaria sp. and Oxyuris equi eggs were found. Paleoparasitology confirmed the use of structures as latrines or cesspit as firstly supposed by the archaeologists. Medieval latrines were not only used for rejection of human excrements. The finding of Ascaris sp. and Trichuris sp. eggs may point to human's or wild swine's feces. Gallo-Roman people used to eat wild boar. Therefore, both A. suum and T. suis, or A. lumbricoides and T. trichuris, may be present, considering a swine carcass recovered into a cesspit. Careful sediment analysis may reveal its origin, although parasites of domestic animals can be found together with those of human's. Taenia sp. eggs identified in latrine samples indicate ingestion of uncooked beef with cysticercoid larvae. F. hepatica eggs suggest the ingestion of raw contaminated vegetables and Diphyllobothrium sp. eggs indicate contaminated fresh-water fish consumption. Ascaris sp. and Trichuris sp. eggs indicate fecal-oral infection by human and/or animal excrements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gino Chaves da Rocha
- Escola Nacional de Saude Publica Sergio Arouca- Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.
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Le Bailly M, Leuzinger U, Schlichtherle H, Bouchet F. Diphyllobothrium: Neolithic parasite? J Parasitol 2006; 91:957-9. [PMID: 17089775 DOI: 10.1645/ge-3456rn.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
During paleoparasitological analyses on several Neolithic sites in Switzerland (Arbon-Bleiche 3) and southwestern Germany (Hornstaad-Hörnle I, Torwiesen II, and Seekirch-Stockwiesen), numerous eggs of Diphyllobothrium sp. were recovered. This is one of the earliest occurrences of this parasite during the prehistoric period in the Old World. The prevalence of this helminth in the samples studied raises the question as to how important parasitic diseases were during the Neolithic period and what their actual consequences were.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthieu Le Bailly
- Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, EA 3798, UFR de Pharmacie, Laboratoire de Paléoparasitologie, CNRS UMR 5197, 51, rue Cognacq-Jay, 51096 Reims, France.
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Gonçalves MLC, Araújo A, Ferreira LF. Human intestinal parasites in the past: new findings and a review. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 2003; 98 Suppl 1:103-18. [PMID: 12687769 DOI: 10.1590/s0074-02762003000900016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 122] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Almost all known human specific parasites have been found in ancient feces. A review of the paleoparasitological helminth and intestinal protozoa findings available in the literature is presented. We also report the new paleoparasitologic findings from the examination performed in samples collected in New and Old World archaeological sites. New finds of ancylostomid, Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, Enterobius vermicularis, Trichostrongylus spp., Diphyllobothrium latum, Hymenolepis nana and Acantocephalan eggs are reported. According to the findings, it is probable that A. lumbricoides was originally a human parasite. Human ancylostomids, A. lumbricoides and T. trichiura, found in the New World in pre-Columbian times, have not been introduced into the Americas by land via Beringia. These parasites could not supported the cold climate of the region. Nomadic prehistoric humans that have crossed the Bering Land Bridge from Asia to the Americas in the last glaciation, probably during generations, would have lost these parasites, which life cycles need warm temperatures in the soil to be transmitted from host to host. Alternative routes are discussed for human parasite introduction into the Americas.
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Bouchet F, Guidon N, Dittmar K, Harter S, Ferreira LF, Chaves SM, Reinhard K, Araújo A. Parasite remains in archaeological sites. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 2003; 98 Suppl 1:47-52. [PMID: 12687762 DOI: 10.1590/s0074-02762003000900009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Organic remains can be found in many different environments. They are the most significant source for paleoparasitological studies as well as for other paleoecological reconstruction. Preserved paleoparasitological remains are found from the driest to the moistest conditions. They help us to understand past and present diseases and therefore contribute to understanding the evolution of present human sociality, biology, and behavior. In this paper, the scope of the surviving evidence will be briefy surveyed, and the great variety of ways it has been preserved in different environments will be discussed. This is done to develop to the most appropriated techniques to recover remaining parasites. Different techniques applied to the study of paleoparasitological remains, preserved in different environments, are presented. The most common materials used to analyze prehistoric human groups are reviewed, and their potential for reconstructing ancient environment and disease are emphasized. This paper also urges increased cooperation among archaeologists, paleontologists, and paleoparasitologists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Françoise Bouchet
- Laboratoire de Paléoparasitologie, CNRS ESA 8045, Université de Reims, France
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Araújo A, Ferreira LF. Paleo-parasitology and the antiquity of human host-parasite relationships. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 2001; 95 Suppl 1:89-93. [PMID: 11142733 DOI: 10.1590/s0074-02762000000700016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Paleo-parasitology may be developed as a new tool to parasite evolution studies. DNA sequences dated thousand years ago, recovered from archaeological material, means the possibility to study parasite-host relationship coevolution through time. Together with tracing parasite-host dispersion throughout the continents, paleo-parasitology points to the interesting field of evolution at the molecular level. In this paper a brief history of paleo-parasitology is traced, pointing to the new perspectives opened by the recent techniques introduced.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Araújo
- Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública-Fiocruz, Rua Leopoldo Bulhões 1480, 21041-210 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
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Bouchet F, West D, Lefèvre C, Corbett D. Identification of parasitoses in a child burial from Adak Island (Central Aleutian Islands, Alaska). COMPTES RENDUS DE L'ACADEMIE DES SCIENCES. SERIE III, SCIENCES DE LA VIE 2001; 324:123-7. [PMID: 11280043 DOI: 10.1016/s0764-4469(00)01287-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Bothriocephalid (Diphyllobothrium pacificum) and Ascarid (Ascaris lumbricoides) eggs have been identified in a sample taken in the abdominal cavity of a child skeleton found in Zeto Point (ADK-011), an archaeological site on Adak Island in the Central Aleutian Islands (Alaska).
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Affiliation(s)
- F Bouchet
- Laboratoire de paléoparasitologie, ESA 8045 (CNRS), université de Reims, 51, rue Cognacq-Jay, 51096 Reims, France.
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