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Galassi FM, Giacomini F, Varotto E. Palaeodermatological aspects of Duke Federico da Montefeltro's case: A multidisciplinary assessment. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 2023; 37:2168-2170. [PMID: 37382055 DOI: 10.1111/jdv.19250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Francesco M Galassi
- Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland
| | | | - Elena Varotto
- FAPAB Research Center, Avola (SR), Sicily, Italy
- Archaeology, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
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Roche K, Pacciani E, Bianucci R, Le Bailly M. Assessing the Parasitic Burden in a Late Antique Florentine Emergency Burial Site. THE KOREAN JOURNAL OF PARASITOLOGY 2019; 57:587-593. [PMID: 31914509 PMCID: PMC6960238 DOI: 10.3347/kjp.2019.57.6.587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2019] [Accepted: 09/30/2019] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Excavation (2008–2014) carried out under the Uffizi Gallery (Florence, Italy) led to the discovery of 75 individuals, mostly buried in multiple graves. Based on Roman minted coins, the graves were preliminarily dated between the second half of the 4th and the beginning of the 5th centuries CE. Taphonomy showed that this was an emergency burial site associated with a catastrophic event, possibly an epidemic of unknown etiology with high mortality rates. In this perspective, paleoparasitological investigations were performed on 18 individuals exhumed from 9 multiple graves to assess the burden of gastrointestinal parasitism. Five out of eighteen individuals (27.7%) tested positive for ascarid-type remains; these are considered as “decorticated” Ascaris eggs, which have lost their outer mammillated coat. Roundworms (genus Ascaris) commonly infest human populations under dire sanitary conditions. Archaeological and historical evidence indicates that Florentia suffered a period of economic crisis between the end of 4th and the beginning of the 5th centuries CE, and that the aqueduct was severely damaged at the beginning of the 4th century CE, possibly during the siege of the Goths (406 CE). It is more than plausible that the epidemic, possibly coupled with the disruption of the aqueduct, deeply affected the living conditions of these individuals. A 27.7% frequency suggests that ascariasis was widespread in this population. This investigation exemplifies how paleoparasitological information can be retrieved from the analysis of sediments sampled in cemeteries, thus allowing a better assessment of the varying frequency of parasitic infections among ancient populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kévin Roche
- University of Bordeaux Montaigne, CNRS UMR 5607 Ausonius, Maison de l'Archéologie, Domaine universitaire, 8 esplanade des Antilles, 33607 Pessac cedex, France.,University of Bourgogne Franche-Comté, CNRS UMR 6249 Chrono-Environment, 16 route de Gray, 25030 Besançon cedex, France
| | - Elsa Pacciani
- Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio of Firenze, Pistoia and Prato, Italy
| | - Raffaella Bianucci
- Legal Medicine Section, Department of Public Health and Paediatric Sciences, University of Turin, C.so Galileo Galilei, 22, 10126 Torino, Italy.,Warwick Medical School, Biomedical Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, 4CV 7 AL, United Kingdom.,ADES (UMR 7268), Laboratoire d'Anthropologie bio-culturelle, Droit, Éthique & Santé (Adés), Faculté de Médecine de Marseille, 51 Boulevard Pierre Dramard, France
| | - Matthieu Le Bailly
- University of Bourgogne Franche-Comté, CNRS UMR 6249 Chrono-Environment, 16 route de Gray, 25030 Besançon cedex, France
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Sereno D, Akhoundi M, Dorkeld F, Oury B, Momen H, Perrin P. What pre-Columbian mummies could teach us about South American leishmaniases? Pathog Dis 2017; 75:3003283. [PMID: 28423167 DOI: 10.1093/femspd/ftx019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2016] [Accepted: 02/14/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A recent report on the taxonomic profile of the human gut microbiome in pre-Columbian mummies (Santiago-Rodriguez et al. 2016) gives for the first time evidence of the presence of Leishmania DNA (sequences similar to Leishmania donovani according to the authors) that can be reminiscent of visceral leishmaniasis during the pre-Columbian era. It is commonly assumed that Leishmania infantum, the etiological agent of American visceral leishmaniasis (AVL) was introduced into the New World by the Iberian conquest. This finding is really surprising and must be put into perspective with what is known from an AVL epidemiological and historical point of view. Beside L. infantum, there are other species that are occasionally reported to cause AVL in the New World. Among these, L. colombiensis is present in the region of pre-Columbian mummies studied. Other explanations for these findings include a more ancient introduction of a visceral species of Leishmania from the Old World or the existence of a yet unidentified endemic species causing visceral leishmaniasis in South America. Unfortunately, very few molecular data are known about this very long pre-Columbian period concerning the circulating species of Leishmania and their diversity in America.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denis Sereno
- IRD UMR 177 (IRD, CIRAD), Centre IRD de Montpellier, Montpellier 34394, France.,MIVEGEC/Université de Montpellier CNRS/UMR 5244/IRD 224-Centre IRD, Montpellier 34394, France
| | - Mohammad Akhoundi
- Service de Parasitologie-Mycologie, Hôpital de l'Archet, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Nice 06003, France
| | - Franck Dorkeld
- INRA-UMR 1062 CBGP (INRA, IRD, CIRAD), Montpellier SupAgro, Montferrier-sur-Lez, Languedoc-Roussillon 34988, France
| | - Bruno Oury
- IRD UMR 177 (IRD, CIRAD), Centre IRD de Montpellier, Montpellier 34394, France
| | - Hooman Momen
- Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, 21040-360 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Pascale Perrin
- MIVEGEC/Université de Montpellier CNRS/UMR 5244/IRD 224-Centre IRD, Montpellier 34394, France
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Novo SPC, Ferreira LF. The Paleoparasitology in Brazil and Findings in Human Remains from South America: A Review. THE KOREAN JOURNAL OF PARASITOLOGY 2016; 54:573-583. [PMID: 27853114 PMCID: PMC5127545 DOI: 10.3347/kjp.2016.54.5.573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2016] [Revised: 08/08/2016] [Accepted: 08/17/2016] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
The review article presents some of the history of how paleoparasitology started in Brazil, making highlight the great responsible Dr. Luiz Fernando Ferreira and Dr. Adauto Araújo, the trajectory of paleoparasitology in Brazil since 1978 and its performance in science to the present day. In sequence, it is made a presentation of parasitological findings on human remains found in archaeological sites in South America, highlighting Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and Peru, where major discoveries have occurred. Many of the parasites found in archaeological material and mentioned in this review went out of Africa with the peopling of Europe and from there they dispersed around the world, where climatic conditions allow the transmission. However, humans have acquired other parasites of animals, since humans invaded new habitats or creating new habits adopting new technologies, thus expanding its range of influence on the environment. Thus, this review article is finalized with information that explain the importance of these findings in the interaction between parasites, human host, and ambient.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shênia Patrícia Corrêa Novo
- Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública Sergio Arouca, ENSP, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, DCB, Laboratório de Paleoparasitologia Eduardo Marques, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
| | - Luiz Fernando Ferreira
- Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública Sergio Arouca, ENSP, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, DCB, Laboratório de Paleoparasitologia Eduardo Marques, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
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NOVO SPC, LELES D, BIANUCCI R, ARAUJO A. THE PROCESS OF Leishmania INFECTION - DISEASE AND NEW PERSPECTIVES OF PALEOPARASITOLOGY. Rev Inst Med Trop Sao Paulo 2016; 58:45. [PMID: 27253747 PMCID: PMC4880002 DOI: 10.1590/s1678-9946201658045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2015] [Accepted: 11/16/2015] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Species of the genus Leishmania (Kinetoplastida, Trypanosomatidae) are causative agents of leishmaniasis, a complex disease with variable clinical spectrum and epidemiological diversity, constituting, in some countries, a serious public health problem. The origin and evolution of leishmaniasis has been under discussion regarding some clinical and parasitological aspects. After the introduction of paleoparasitology, molecular methods and immunodiagnostic techniques have been applied allowing the recovery of parasite remains, as well as the diagnosis of past infections in humans and other hosts. The dating of archaeological samples has allowed the parasitological analysis in time and space. This manuscript presents the state of the art of leishmaniasis and prospects related to paleoparasitology studies and their contribution to the evolutionary and phylogenetic clarification of parasites belonging to the genus Leishmania, and the leishmaniasis caused by them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shênia Patrícia Corrêa NOVO
- Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública Sérgio
Arouca, ENSP, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, DCB, Laboratório de
Paleoparasitologia. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil. E-mail:
| | - Daniela LELES
- Universidade Federal Fluminense, UFF, Departamento de Microbiologia e
Parasitologia, Instituto Biomédico, Laboratório de Biologia Molecular de Parasito. Rio
de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil. E-mail:
| | - Raffaella BIANUCCI
- Department of Public Health and Paediatric Sciences, Laboratory of
Physical Anthropology, University of Turin. Italy
- Center for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of
Biosciences, University of Oslo. Oslo, Norway
- Anthropologie bioculturelle, Droit, Ethique et Santé, Aix-Marseille
Université, 15, boulevard Pierre Dramard, Faculté de Médecine-Nord, Marseille, France.
E-mail:
| | - Adauto ARAUJO
- Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública Sérgio
Arouca, ENSP, Departamento de Endemias Samuel Pessoa, DENSP, Laboratório de
Paleoparasitologia. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil. E-mail:
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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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Novo SPC, Leles D, Bianucci R, Araujo A. Leishmania tarentolae molecular signatures in a 300 hundred-years-old human Brazilian mummy. Parasit Vectors 2015; 8:72. [PMID: 25649153 PMCID: PMC4328655 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-015-0666-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2014] [Accepted: 01/16/2015] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND L. tarentolae, the lizard-infecting species of Old World geckos, has been classified as non-pathogenic to man. While it has been demonstrated that L. tarentolae is capable of infecting human phagocytic cells and to differentiate into amastigote-like forms, there is no clear evidence for its efficient replication within macrophages. Here we provide first evidence for L. tarentolae ancient DNA sequences from bone marrow and intestines of a 300yo adult male. METHODS We identified molecular signatures of Leishmania tarentolae, the lizard-infecting species of Old World geckos, in hard and soft tissue biopsies from a Brazilian mummy (A74) uncovered in Itacambira (Brazil) and dating to the Colonial Period (end of 18th/beginning of the 19th century). RESULTS Our results imply that efficient replication of the parasite occurred within human macrophage and to lead to a systemic spread and visceralization in this individual. The ancient sequences show a 100% similarity with those of isolated L. tarentolae parasites grown on artificial nutrient media and a 99% similarity with two modern sequences isolated from reptiles. CONCLUSIONS De facto, our findings re-open the debate about the potential survival of ancient L. tarentolae strain within human macrophage and its ability to spread systemically. They also raise ecological issues since it is unknown whether this parasite circulates in the reptilian reservoir in modern day Brazil or not. Investigations on fossil fauna and arthropods are needed to shed light on the interactions between saurian Leishmania and lizards in Brazil's remote and recent past.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shênia P C Novo
- Departamento de Endemias Samuel Pessoa, Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública Sergio Arouca, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, rua Leopoldo Bulhões, 1480, Térreo, Manguinhos, 21041-210, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.
| | - Daniela Leles
- Departamento de Microbiologia e Parasitologia, Instituto Biomédico, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Laboratório de Biologia Molecular de Parasitos, Rua Professor Hernani Melo 101, São domingos, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, 24210-130, Brazil.
| | - Raffaella Bianucci
- Department of Public Health and Paediatric Sciences, Laboratory of Physical Anthropology, University of Turin, Corso Galileo Galilei, 22, 10126, Turin, Italy. .,Center for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1066, Blindern, NO-0316, Oslo, Norway. .,Anthropologie bioculturelle, Droit, Ethique et Santé, Aix-Marseille Université, 15, boulevard Pierre Dramard, Faculté de Médecine-Nord, Cedex 15, 13344, Marseille, France.
| | - Adauto Araujo
- Departamento de Endemias Samuel Pessoa, Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública Sergio Arouca, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, rua Leopoldo Bulhões, 1480, Térreo, Manguinhos, 21041-210, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.
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Frías L, Leles D, Araújo A. Studies on protozoa in ancient remains--a review. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 2013; 108:1-12. [PMID: 23440107 PMCID: PMC3974329 DOI: 10.1590/s0074-02762013000100001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2012] [Accepted: 11/23/2012] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Paleoparasitological research has made important contributions to the understanding of parasite evolution and ecology. Although parasitic protozoa exhibit a worldwide distribution, recovering these organisms from an archaeological context is still exceptional and relies on the availability and distribution of evidence, the ecology of infectious diseases and adequate detection techniques. Here, we present a review of the findings related to protozoa in ancient remains, with an emphasis on their geographical distribution in the past and the methodologies used for their retrieval. The development of more sensitive detection methods has increased the number of identified parasitic species, promising interesting insights from research in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liesbeth Frías
- Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
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