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

Background: Calodium hepaticum (syn. Capillaria hepatica) is a worldwide helminth parasite of which several aspects of transmission still remain unclear. In the Amazon region, the mechanism of transmission based on the ingestion of eggs present in the liver of wild mammals has been suggested as the cause of the spurious infections described. We performed an epidemiological investigation to determine the incidence, risk of spurious infection and the dynamics of transmission of C. hepaticum in a community of the Brazilian Amazon. Methodology/Principal Findings: Stool samples of 135 individuals, two dog feces and liver tissue from a peccary (captured and eaten by the residents) were analyzed by conventional microscopy. Dog feces were collected from the gardens of households presenting human cases of spurious C. hepaticum infections. Community practices and feeding habits related to the transmission of the parasite were investigated. The individual incidence of spurious infection was 6.7% (95% CI: 2.08–11.24). Cases of spurious infection were observed in 7.5% of the families and the household incidence was from 50% to 83.3%. The risk of spurious infection was 10-fold greater in persons consuming the liver of wild mammals (p = 0.02). The liver tissue of a peccary and one feces sample of a dog presented eggs of C. hepaticum. The consumption of the infected liver was the cause of the spurious infections reported in one household. Conclusions/Significance: This is the first identification of a source of spurious infection by C. hepaticum in humans and we describe a high rate of incidence in household clusters related to game liver alimentary habits. The finding of a dog feces contaminating peridomiciliary ground suggests the risk of new infections. We conclude that the mechanism of transmission based on the ingestion of liver is important for the dynamics of transmission of C. hepaticum in the studied area.

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“…The morphologic analysis was based on aspects of the structure of the eggshells [27], [28]. Photomicrographs were made with a Leica microscope.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Calodium hepaticum: Household Clustering Transmission and the Finding of a Source of Human Spurious Infection in a Community of the Amazon Region

Gonçalves

Ascaso

Santos³

et al. 2012

PLoS Negl Trop Dis

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“…Whether true infections or false infections, the presence of the eggs shows that humans interacted with parasite life cycles of animals, therefore making humans susceptible to infection. This is especially evident in Patagonia through the work of Martin Fugassa and his colleagues (Fugassa and Barberena, 2006, Fugassa et al, 2008a, 2008b who frequently find parasites of animals in human coprolites Beltrame, 2009, Fugassa et al, 2010). Some regions of the Americas today produce clinically bizarre parasites.…”

Section: Diet and Parasitism In The New Worldmentioning

confidence: 98%

Food, parasites, and epidemiological transitions: A broad perspective

Reinhard

Ferreira

Bouchet

et al. 2013

International Journal of Paleopathology

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“…However, the absence of a mammillated coat besides the nonspherical shape of the eggs dismissed the initial presumption of A. lumbricoides eggs. Furthermore, the initial apparent similarities of the eggs with capillariid were ruled out based on the morphological appearance described in the literature [12]. Possible Physaloptera eggs have been identified in prehistoric coprolites from South America.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Human spiruridiasis due toPhysalopteraspp. (Nematoda: Physalopteridae) in a grave of the Shahr-e Sukhteh archeological site of the Bronze Age (2800–2500 BC) in Iran

et al. 2017

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Evidence of rare human helminthiasis in paleoparasitological records is scarce. we report here the finding of Physaloptera spp. eggs in a soil sample collected in the pelvic and sacrum bones area of a skeleton excavated from a grave of Shahr-e Sukhteh archeological site dating back to the Bronze Age. The site is located in southeastern Iran and has attracted the attention of numerous archeological teams owing to its vast expanse and diverse archeological findings since 1997. The spirurid nematodes Physaloptera spp. are rarely the cause of human helminthiasis nowadays, but this infection might not have been so rare in ancient populations such as those in the Shahr-e Sukhteh. Out of 320 skeletons analyzed in this study, only one parasitized individual was detected. This surprising result led us to suspect the role of nematophagous fungi and other taphonomic processes in possible false-negative results. This is the first paleoparasitological study on human remains in this archeological site and the first record of ancient human physalopterosis in the Middle East.

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

Abstract: Discriminant analysis was used to identify eggs of

Cited by 40 publications

References 7 publications

Calodium hepaticum: Household Clustering Transmission and the Finding of a Source of Human Spurious Infection in a Community of the Amazon Region

Calodium hepaticum: Household Clustering Transmission and the Finding of a Source of Human Spurious Infection in a Community of the Amazon Region

Food, parasites, and epidemiological transitions: A broad perspective

Human spiruridiasis due toPhysalopteraspp. (Nematoda: Physalopteridae) in a grave of the Shahr-e Sukhteh archeological site of the Bronze Age (2800–2500 BC) in Iran

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