The identification of parasites from ancient cultures expands our list of parasites infective to extant humans. A partially mummified human body from the archeological site of Lapa do Boquete, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, was recently discovered. It was interred between 600 and 1,200 yr ago. Dietary analysis showed that the mummified body was from a society that had a mixed subsistence of agriculture and gathering of wild foods. Coprolites from the body contained numerous helminth eggs. The eggs were identified as those of Echinostoma sp. and hookworm. Hookworm infection in pre-Columbian populations is already established, but this is the first evidence of Echinostoma sp. eggs found in human coprolites. The diagnosis of a true infection, as opposed to false parasitism, is discussed. The possibility of Echinostoma ilocanum infection is discussed, as this is a common species found in humans in the Asiatic region, which could have been introduced in South America in the pre-Columbian period. Alternative possibilities are also considered, including indigenous Brazilian Echinostoma species.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
August 2005
RESEARCH NOTES|
August 01 2005
The Finding of Echinostoma (Trematoda: Digenea) and Hookworm Eggs in Coprolites Collected From a Brazilian Mummified Body Dated 600–1,200 Years Before Present
L. Sianto;
L. Sianto
aEscola Nacional de Saude Publica—Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Search for other works by this author on:
K. J. Reinhard;
K. J. Reinhard
bSchool of Natural Resources Sciences, University of Nebraska– Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588-0340. adauto@ensp.fiocruz.br
Search for other works by this author on:
M. Chame;
M. Chame
aEscola Nacional de Saude Publica—Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Search for other works by this author on:
S. Chaves;
S. Chaves
aEscola Nacional de Saude Publica—Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Search for other works by this author on:
S. Mendonça;
S. Mendonça
aEscola Nacional de Saude Publica—Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Search for other works by this author on:
M. L C. Gonçalves;
M. L C. Gonçalves
aEscola Nacional de Saude Publica—Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Search for other works by this author on:
A. Fernandes;
A. Fernandes
aEscola Nacional de Saude Publica—Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Search for other works by this author on:
L. F. Ferreira;
L. F. Ferreira
aEscola Nacional de Saude Publica—Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Search for other works by this author on:
A. Araújo
A. Araújo
aEscola Nacional de Saude Publica—Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Search for other works by this author on:
J Parasitol (2005) 91 (4): 972–975.
Citation
L. Sianto, K. J. Reinhard, M. Chame, S. Chaves, S. Mendonça, M. L C. Gonçalves, A. Fernandes, L. F. Ferreira, A. Araújo; The Finding of Echinostoma (Trematoda: Digenea) and Hookworm Eggs in Coprolites Collected From a Brazilian Mummified Body Dated 600–1,200 Years Before Present. J Parasitol 1 August 2005; 91 (4): 972–975. doi: https://doi.org/10.1645/GE-3445RN.1
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Client Account
You could not be signed in. Please check your email address / username and password and try again.
Could not validate captcha. Please try again.
Sign in via your Institution
Sign in via your InstitutionCiting articles via
A RANGE-WIDE ECTOPARASITE SURVEY FOR ALLEGHENY WOODRATS (NEOTOMA MAGISTER)
Karen E. Powers, Ralph P. Eckerlin, Robert R. Sheehy, Richard J. Reynolds
DESCRIPTION OF FEMALE DENDRITOBILHARZIA PULVERULENTA () FROM TWO NEW AVIAN HOSTS IN NAMIBIA WITH PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSES AND COMMENTS ON SEVERAL TAXONOMICALLY UNCERTAIN AVIAN SCHISTOSOME SEQUENCES
Haley R. Dutton, Louis H. DuPreez, Edward C. Netherlands, Bernard J. Jordaan, Stephen A. Bullard
Ralph Peter Eckerlin, Ph.D. 10 February 1938–9 February 2024
Lance A. Durden
HOST SWITCHING IN DICYEMIDS (PHYLUM DICYEMIDA)
Hiroaki Nakajima, Ayako Fukui, Kazutaka Suzuki, R. Yusrifar Kharisma Tirta, Hidetaka Furuya
MORPHOLOGICAL AND MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION OF AMBLYOMMA SCUTATUM (ACARI: IXODIDAE) ACCIDENTALLY INTRODUCED IN ITALY
Annalisa Grisendi, Mattia Calzolari, Francesco Defilippo, Deborah Torri, Katia Marzani, Michele Dottori, Paolo Bonilauri, Giulia Maioli