Paleoparasitological analyses were conducted on samples from the Neolithic lakeside settlement of La Draga in Spain (5320-4980 BC). Conventional microscopic analysis revealed the presence of tapeworms (genus Taenia/Echinoccocus and Diphyllobothrium), roundworms (genus Trichuris, Capillaria, and Ascaris), rumen fluke (genus Paramphistomum), and Acanthocephalan (genus Macracanthorhynchus). In addition, genetic analysis demonstrated the presence of the lancet liver fluke (Dicrocoelium dendriticum) and the human pinworm (Enterobius vermicularis) at the site. These results represent the first parasitological data from a Neolithic lakeside settlement related to the Cardial Pottery Culture. Some parasites are comparable with those retrieved from Neolithic lakeside sites studied in France, Germany, and Switzerland, which stem from and are posterior to the Linear Band Keramic Culture. However, some taxa were identified here for the first time during the Neolithic period, or represent the oldest mention of these parasites. This new paleoparasitological contribution reinforces our knowledge of intestinal parasites in Neolithic populations and provides new data on their history.

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Paleoparasitological investigations were carried out on 124 sediment samples from the Swiss Neolithic lakeside settlement of Zürich-Parkhaus-Opéra (layer 13, 3176–3153 years BCE). Analyses revealed the presence of several taxa of human and/or animal gastrointestinal parasites, including whipworm (genus Trichuris), capillariids, tapeworms ( Taenia/Echinococcus and Diphyllobothrium genera) and flukes ( Fasciola and Paramphistomum genera). Owing to excavation conditions and the sampling strategy, an original spatial analysis of the results was applied. This approach contributes to defining concentrations of parasite remains and proposes hypotheses concerning waste management or the functions of some archaeological areas and structures at the site.