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Paleoparasitology of Helminths

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Helminth Infections and their Impact on Global Public Health

Abstract

Paleoparasitology is an important branch of paleopathology, which is the discipline that studies ancient diseases through the use of human skeletal or mummified remains.

This science is useful from a medical perspective to understand past events of human evolution, including conditions of hygiene, sanitation, and nutritional adequacy.

A central role is played by the study of the helminths; in fact evidences of human ancient parasitism are largely recorded around the world, from prehistory to present age, through the analysis of the coprolites and the latrine soils.

In this chapter we will show the most important paleoparasitology findings in the four continents which will present the evident massive spread of the whole class of the helminths (trematodes, cestodes, nematodes) through the ages.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Paleopathology, Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, Università di Pisa, Via Roma 57, 56126, Pisa, Italy

    Gino Fornaciari & Raffaele Gaeta

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  1. Gino Fornaciari
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  2. Raffaele Gaeta
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Correspondence to Gino Fornaciari .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Ricerca Traslazionale, Università di Pisa, Pisa, Italy

    Fabrizio Bruschi

Appendix

Appendix

Presented below (Table 2.2) is a synthetic list of the paleoparasitological finds from human remains, in the New and Old World, in the pre- and post-Columbian era.

Table 2.2 Paleoparasitological finds from human remains, in the New and Old World, pre and post-Columbian
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Fornaciari, G., Gaeta, R. (2014). Paleoparasitology of Helminths. In: Bruschi, F. (eds) Helminth Infections and their Impact on Global Public Health. Springer, Vienna. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7091-1782-8_2

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