Primer estudio paleoparasitológico en restos humanos de la provincia de Córdoba (Holoceno tardío)

Abstract

La paleoparasitología en la Argentina ha producido un gran número de trabajos, especialmente en Patagonia. Sin embargo, hay ausencia de estos estudios en las poblaciones de la región central del país. En este sentido, realizamos la primera investigación sobre infestaciones parasitarias en restos humanos de sitios arqueológicos de la provincia de Córdoba. Se estudiaron 13 individuos de 4 sitios arqueológicos, datados entre 2562 ± 47 y 533 ± 57 14C años AP. Los análisis paleoparasitológicos se aplicaron sobre 20 muestras de sedimentos provenientes de la cavidad pélvica, empleando las técnicas de sedimentación espontánea, disgregación en ácido clorhídrico y flotación en sacarosa. Se hallaron estructuras sugestivas de huevos de helmintos de las superfamilias Ascaridoidea y Heterakoidea, y otros de nemátodos no identificados. Debido a que los animales son los huéspedes definitivos de estos parásitos, los resultados podrían sugerir la presencia de falso parasitismo en los individuos de la región. La relación cercana de los humanos con los animales, utilizados como parte de la dieta, se sustenta en estudios isotópicos y zooarqueológicos previos. La escasez de hallazgos parasitarios en este estudio posiblemente se debe a factores tafonómicos y a las características ambientales de los sitios.

The effects of dehydration and local soil on parasite recovery: A preliminary paleoparasitological evaluation on experimental coprolites

“…Soil sediments were taken from the cranium of an individual from El Diquecito site (2562 ± 47 BP AA93742), located in the coast of Mar Chiquita Lagoon, province of Córdoba. This individual was negative to paleoparasitological examination (Ramirez et al, 2021b). Soil texture was silt loam with a basic pH (8), and showed a violent reaction when immersed in hydrochloric acid, suggesting the presence of large amounts of calcium carbonate (Tavarone et al, 2016).…”

“…Paleoparasitological research allows making inferences about the diet and health conditions of past populations (Ferreira et al, 2014;Iñiguez, 2020). Possible samples to be analyzed mainly consist of coprolites, that is, desiccated and/or mineralized fecal matter, and sediment from the pelvic and abdominal cavity of skeletons, as well as from latrines, trash pits, and spaces of occupation at archeological sites (Borba et al, 2019;Fugassa et al, 2008;Guedes et al, 2020;Ramirez et al, 2021b;Reinhard et al, 2008;Vieira de Souza et al, 2018;Yeh et al, 2019). Less frequently, mummified tissues and regurgitation pellets of birds of prey have been processed (Beltrame et al, 2011;Fugassa, 2014;Gonçalves et al, 2003).…”

“…Most were well preserved, sometimes allowing identification at a species level. On the other hand, in the central region of the country, the application of paleoparasitological techniques (Ramirez et al, 2021a(Ramirez et al, , 2021b showed scarce results, probably attributed to the taphonomic processes acting negatively on the preservation of remains.…”

Presence of Parasite Remains in Historical Contexts in the City of Córdoba, Argentina, in the Nineteenth Century

“…Coprolites (desiccated/mineralized feces) and sediments are the main sources of paleoparasitological studies, which aim to detect and identify helminths and protozoa remains. Paleoparasitological findings can be linked to skeletal individuals (Fugassa and Barberena 2006;Fugassa and Dubois 2009;Jaeger, Taglioretti, Dias, et al 2013;Jaeger, Taglioretti, Fugassa, et al 2013;Ramirez, Vieira de Souza, et al 2021) or to common-use structures like cesspools and latrines, as well as occupational layers (Anastasiou and Mitchell 2013;Côté et al 2016;Hald et al 2018;Maicher et al 2017;Mitchell et al 2011;Reinhard et al 2008;Seo et al 2016;Trigg et al 2017;Yeh et al 2019). In the Americas, paleoparasitological studies on samples from common-use structures in urban contexts are scarce, being restricted to the United States (Reinhard 1989;Reinhard et al 2008;Warnock and Reinhard 1992).…”

“…In Argentina, paleoparasitology has focused instead on animal coprolites, regurgitated pellets, and sediments (Beltrame et al 2010(Beltrame et al , 2020Fugassa and Dubois 2009;Petrigh et al 2019). In the central region of the country where this study is located, recent paleoparasitological research has reported the presence of parasite eggs in pelvic sediments from individuals dated from the Late Holocene (Ramirez, Vieira de Souza, et al 2021).…”