Intestinal parasite analysis in organic sediments collected from a 16th-century Belgian archeological site

Abstract

Parasite eggs found in organic remains collected from medieval structures in Raversijde (medieval name: Walraversijde), a village on the northern coast of Belgium, are discussed. The eggs were identified as Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura, both human parasites. Species identification allowed elucidating the origin of the organic sediments and the structures, in this case latrines used by humans. Capillaria sp. and free-living nematode larvae were also found in the latrine. Although neither parasite burden nor prevalence rates could be measured, the abundance of human intestinal parasite eggs indicated a high infection rate in the village residents, reflecting very poor sanitation.

Capillaria spp. eggs in Patagonian archaeological sites: statistical analysis of morphometric data

“…eggs have been recovered in human coprolites and latrine sediments from Old World archaeological sites (Bouchet et al 2003, Dittmar & Teejen 2003, Fernandes et al 2005). Human capillariosis is rarely found today, but in some places of the world it is a public health problem, such as in Philippines, where Capillaria philippinensis infection is endemic.…”

Animal helminths in human archaeological remains: a review of zoonoses in the past

“…ROCHA et al 112 and FERNANDES et al 37 , studying material from Medieval European latrines, showed that specific human parasites like Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura, and animal parasites like Ascaris suum and Trichuris suis, that infect swine, appeared in association with each other, thus proving the close relationship between man and these animals, already demonstrated by archaeological records. This constant contact with animals facilitated the transmission of parasites, including zoonotic ones, that were previously acquired sporadically, like Taenia sp., Capillaria sp., and Fasciola sp., causing an increase in the number of animal parasite infections in human populations 8,15,16,18,19,34,35,36,37,61,62,67,68,71,86,110 .…”

Lutz's spontaneous sedimentation technique and the paleoparasitological analysis of sambaqui (shell mound) sediments

“…Since the earliest paleoparasitological studies, Ascaris eggs have been found in archaeological samples, especially in Europe (Taylor 1955, Pike 1967, Greig 1981, Jones et al 1988, Bouchet 1991, 1993, 1995, Bouchet & Paicheler 1995, Bouchet et al 1996, 1998, Rousset et al 1996, Fernandes et al 2005, Le Bailly et al 2005. At archaeological sites of South America, Ascaris sp.…”