Parasites in rodent coprolites from the historical archaeological site Alero Mazquiarán, Chubut Province, Argentina

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the parasitic remains that were found in rodent coprolites collected from the archaeological site Alero Mazquiarán (Chubut Province, 45º44'15"S, 70°25'9"W), which is assigned to the interface of the Araucanian and Tehuelche cultures, dated at 212 ± 35 years B.P. The faecal material from two unidentified rodent species (X-10 and X-11) was collected from one human pelvic cavity found in a multiple burial. The faecal samples were processed and examined using paleoparasitological procedures. The X-10 coprolites were positive for eggs of Monoecocestus sp. (Cestoda: Anoplocephalidae) and the X-11 faeces were positive for Pterygodermatites sp. (Nematoda: Rictulariidae), Trichosomoides sp. (Nematoda: Trichosomoididae) and Monoecocestus sp. In this study, we discuss parasitic life cycles, the zoonotic importance of parasites and the behaviour of the aboriginal people.Key words: paleoparasitology -helminths -rodents -Patagonia -nematodes -anoplocephaliids Parasites are useful as biological markers for the interpretation of the ecology of their hosts; they also play important roles in regulating the populations and communities of the hosts that they infect (Williams et al. 1992, Poulin 2007. In addition, parasites can be used as tags to determine the history of their hosts (Manter 1967, Brooks 1979, Morand et al. 2006. Helminth eggs, found in faeces and in sediments or other materials, vary widely in their ability to resist desiccation and destruction. Eggs are one of the most resilient stages in the life cycle of parasitic worms. Therefore, inferences can be made regarding evolutionary time using the recognition of eggs collected from old infected materials, i.e., from coprolites (Pike 1968).In the archaeological site named Alero Mazquiarán (Chubut Province, Argentina), a multiple human burial was discovered. Parasites attributed to rodents, including several eggs of Trichuris sp. (Nematoda), one egg probably of taeniid, and two eggs of Anoplocephalidae (Cestoda) were recovered from sediment in one human pelvic cavity. Along with the sediment, rodent coprolites of two distinct morphological aspects (X-10 and X-11) were discovered. These samples were processed and examined microscopically. The presence of oribatid mites, Moniezia sp., Capillaria sp., Trichuris sp., ascaridid eggs, and differences in the parasite burden of both rodent faeces were available from previously published parasitological data (Fugassa 2006a, b).The aim of this paper was to broaden the current paleoparasitological information using a new set of obser- vations of the preserved coprolites, X-10 and X-11. The purpose of this study was to review the parasite fauna and to examine the existence of potentially zoonotic parasites and the role of rodents in ancient human populations in Patagonia. MATERIALS AND METHODSAlero Mazquiarán is an archaeological site located in the South of Chubut Province, Argentina (45º44'15"S, 70°25'9"W) ( Fig. 1), assigned to the interface of the Araucanian and Tehuelche cultures. This si...

Review of the rodent paleoparasitological knowledge from South America

“…Another case that may be mentioned in this regard is Spirurina, which include a diverse group of nematodes that use intermediate hosts such as arthropods, insects, and crustaceans. Eggs of the genus Pterigodermatites were found in ancient samples from Alero Mazquiar an, and this finding represents the first worldwide (Sardella and Fugassa, 2009a).…”

“…Rodent coprolites from CCP with an antiquity considered as 7920 ± 130 BP were also examined (Sardella and Fugassa, 2009a). In this case, all samples were parasitized by nematodes: eggs of Trichuris sp.…”

“…Species of Paraspidodera exhibit a high specificity for octodontid rodents of the genus Ctenomys in which they are usually present in high densities. Paraspidodera uncinata occupies a wide geographic range (Sardella and Fugassa, 2009a). Based on the macroscopical aspect of the feces and on the paleoparasitological results, coprolites were assigned to the South American endemic octodontid rodent of the genus Ctenomys.…”

Reptile and rodent parasites in raptor pellets in an archaeological context: the case of Epullán Chica (northwestern Patagonia, Argentina)

“…(Robles and Navone, 2014). There are previous paleoparasitological findings of Trichuris from rodent coprolites and raptor pellets with rodent remains from archaeological sites of Patagonia (Sardella and Fugassa, 2009a;Sardella et al, 2010;Beltrame et al, 2011;Sardella and Fugassa, 2011).…”

“…For this reason, this species probably belongs to one of these genera. Anoplocephalid species from rodent coprolites were previously reported from archaeological sites from Patagonia (Sardella and Fugassa, 2009a;Sardella et al, 2010;Beltrame et al, 2012Beltrame et al, , 2013Beltrame et al, , 2014a. Oribatid mites are intermediate hosts for anoplocephalids, and are commonly ingested by herbivorous where infection occurs.…”