Parasite infection rates estimated by examining ancient coprolites can provide insights into parasitism in Joseon society. Using newly discovered Joseon period cases is essential to regularly update the parasite infection rates and reinforce the reliability of our previous estimations. In the present study, we investigated parasite infections in Joseon coprolites newly isolated from the cities of Euijeongbu, Gumi, and Wonju. We then updated the overall parasite infection rates of Joseon period samples (<i>n</i>= 30) as follows: 86.7% (26/30) for <i>Trichuris trichiura</i>, 56.7% (17/30) for <i>Ascaris lumbricoides</i>, 30.0% (9/30) for <i>Clonorchis sinensis</i>, and 30.0% (9/30) for <i>Paragonimus westermani</i>. The parasite infection rates in the Joseon society, estimated through coprolite examination, were very similar to those determined previously despite the addition of new cases to the existing data pool.
In the past decade, experts have conducted parasitological research on archaeological specimens in Korea to collect historical parasite infection data. In these studies, parasitologists successfully described the infection pattern of each parasite species in history. However, in the first half of the 20th century, archaeoparasitological reports have been scant. In 2021, we conducted a parasitological examination of a toilet-like structure that emerged in the early 20th century. This structure was built by stacking 2 wooden barrels; and in the study samples, we found ancient Trichuris trichiura, Ascaris lumbricoides (unfertilized), and Taenia spp. eggs and therefore proposed a higher possibility that the barrels could have been used as a toilet at the time. To understand how the antihelminthic campaign since the 1960s helped reduce parasite infection rates in Korea, more research should focus on early-20th-century toilet ruins.
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