The Finding of Echinostoma (Trematoda: Digenea) and Hookworm Eggs in Coprolites Collected From a Brazilian Mummified Body Dated 600–1,200 Years Before Present

Parasites as probes for prehistoric human migrations?

“…The prehistoric parasites of ancient humans persisted during the early coastal or trans-oceanic migration from Polynesia [32] and eventually colonized two continents. Inaddition, humans acquired parasites endemic to the Americas [30,49]. Thus, the movement of humans both introduced new parasites to new places and introduced new parasites to humans as they entered these new places.…”

Food, parasites, and epidemiological transitions: A broad perspective

“…A case reported by Sianto et al (2005) showed unusual eggs of a parasite identified as Echinostoma sp., along with hookworm eggs in a human coprolite from 1200 years ago in Brazil. In this area, humans can be involved in the Echinostoma sp.…”

“…Paleoparasitological studies from Patagonia , the Arizona desert (Reinhard, 1990(Reinhard, , 1992a) and the semiarid regions of Brazil (Sianto et al, 2009) report animal parasite eggs in human coprolites. This suggests one of two alternative explanations: true parasitism with established infections or false parasitism whereby helminth eggs pass through the intestinal tract without infecting the human host (Sianto et al, 2005). 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.…”

Animal helminths in human archaeological remains: a review of zoonoses in the past

“…But perhaps the most significant finding of a zoonosis in archaeological material in Brazil came from a paleoparasitological review of coprolite samples from a naturally mummified body in the State of Minas Gerais, Southeast Brazil, dated 600 -1,200 BP, which allowed the correct identification of Echinostoma sp. eggs and the certainty of this parasite's occurrence in humans 119 . Echinostomiasis is an endemic zoonosis in Asia, that can produce debilitating symptoms in infected individuals 41,53 .…”