The Study of Parasites through Time: Archaeoparasitology and Paleoparasitology

Dittmar, Katharina; Araújo, Adauto; Reinhard, Karl J.

doi:10.1002/9781444345940.ch10

Cited by 35 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 107 publications

(103 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…The observation suggests that by that epoch, T. cruzi infections and Chagas' disease affected the Amerindian people living in the Andean region between Chile and Peru. T. cruzi infections spread by human migrations throughout the American continent and possibly reached North America early in the year 1150 BC; parasite DNA was found in a male mummy showing chagasic megacolon (113,114,323). Among the factors that favored the transmission of T. cruzi infections to the Amerindians were the acquisition of sedentary habits, agriculture implementation, and domestication of animals that attracted triatomines to domiciles and peridomiciles (24).…”

Section: Trypanosoma Cruzi Infections In Human Hostsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pathogenesis of Chagas' Disease: Parasite Persistence and Autoimmunity

et al. 2011

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

SUMMARY Acute Trypanosoma cruzi infections can be asymptomatic, but chronically infected individuals can die of Chagas' disease. The transfer of the parasite mitochondrial kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) minicircle to the genome of chagasic patients can explain the pathogenesis of the disease; in cases of Chagas' disease with evident cardiomyopathy, the kDNA minicircles integrate mainly into retrotransposons at several chromosomes, but the minicircles are also detected in coding regions of genes that regulate cell growth, differentiation, and immune responses. An accurate evaluation of the role played by the genotype alterations in the autoimmune rejection of self-tissues in Chagas' disease is achieved with the cross-kingdom chicken model system, which is refractory to T. cruzi infections. The inoculation of T. cruzi into embryonated eggs prior to incubation generates parasite-free chicks, which retain the kDNA minicircle sequence mainly in the macrochromosome coding genes. Crossbreeding transfers the kDNA mutations to the chicken progeny. The kDNA-mutated chickens develop severe cardiomyopathy in adult life and die of heart failure. The phenotyping of the lesions revealed that cytotoxic CD45, CD8 + γδ, and CD8α + T lymphocytes carry out the rejection of the chicken heart. These results suggest that the inflammatory cardiomyopathy of Chagas' disease is a genetically driven autoimmune disease.

show abstract

Section: Trypanosoma Cruzi Infections In Human Hostsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pathogenesis of Chagas' Disease: Parasite Persistence and Autoimmunity

et al. 2011

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Paleoparasitology is the study of the evolution and of the ecological history of parasitic organisms in humans and other animals [1]. Depending on the species, gastrointestinal worms produce eggs ranging in size from ~30 µm to ~160 µm [2].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the Parasitic Burden in a Late Antique Florentine Emergency Burial Site

Roche

Pacciani²,

Bianucci

et al. 2019

Korean J Parasitol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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.

show abstract

“…La segunda también se menciona en textos griegos. Conviene recordar que el trayecto y la herida generados por la hembra adulta de D. medinensis predisponen al tétanos y otras infecciones por bacterias anaerobias (Wynd et al 2007;Feldmeier y Schuster, 2012;Dittmar et al 2012).…”

Section: Climaunclassified

La antigua Roma y las zoonosis

Dieste

2018

Revista Complutense De Ciencias Veterinarias

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Resumen. La antigua Roma era una ciudad insalubre y molesta, alejada de nuestra imagen idealizada de palacios, estatuas y templos, que no eran lo mayoritario. La vida diaria se realizaba en gran parte en un medio insano de hacinamiento, malnutrición y pobreza, en el que existía un alto riesgo de contaminación directa o indirecta del agua y los alimentos con materia fecal humana y animal. La formación de encharcamientos y la contaminación de fuentes y ríos con detritos que favorecían a los patógenos y vectores era una constante. La falta de una limpieza mínima de calles y alcantarillados y la presencia de multitud de animales -insectos incluidos-en las calles y las viviendas sucedían de continuo. Estos y otros factores de riesgo generaban un ambiente óptimo tanto para la aparición de grandes epidemias como para el mantenimiento de enfermedades transmisibles endémicas, incluidas las zoonosis.Abstract. Ancient Rome was an unhealthy and annoying city, far from our sound idea about it, associated to palaces, temples and statues. Daily life used to take place in a crowded environment, where malnutrition and poverty thrived. Direct or indirect fecal contamination from humans and animals of water and food was highly probable. Spills and pollution of watercourses and reservoirs with filth and carrion occurred often, this favoring pathogens and vectors. The lack of appropriate cleansing of streets and sewers, and the regular presence of animals -insects included-in streets and households guaranteed some more health challenges. These, and some other risk factors, supported both the appearance of large epidemics and the maintenance of endemic transmissible diseases including zoonoses.

show abstract

The Study of Parasites through Time: Archaeoparasitology and Paleoparasitology

Cited by 35 publications

References 107 publications

Pathogenesis of Chagas' Disease: Parasite Persistence and Autoimmunity

Pathogenesis of Chagas' Disease: Parasite Persistence and Autoimmunity

Assessing the Parasitic Burden in a Late Antique Florentine Emergency Burial Site

La antigua Roma y las zoonosis

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About