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.

Les preuves d’infestation humaine par des espèces rares d’helminthes sont rares en paléoparasitologie. Nous rapportons ici l’identification d’œufs de Physaloptera spp dans des échantillons de sol prélevés dans la région pelvienne et le sacrum d’un squelette d’une tombe du site archéologique de Shahr-e Sukhteh datant de l’âge du Bronze. Ce site est situé dans le sud-est de l’Iran et a attiré l’attention de nombreuses équipes archéologiques depuis 1997, en raison de son extension et de l’importance des pièces archéologiques découvertes. Les nématodes spiruridés Physaloptera spp. sont la cause d’helminthiases humaines rares aujourd’hui mais ceci n’était peut-être pas aussi rare dans les populations anciennes telles que celle de Shahr-e Sukhteh. Sur 320 squelettes analysés dans cette étude, un seul individu a été retrouvé parasité. Ce résultat surprenant nous conduit à soupçonner le rôle des champignons nématophages et d’autres processus taphonomiques dans la survenue d’éventuels résultats faussement négatifs. Ceci est la première étude paléoparasitologique sur des restes humains dans ce site archéologique et le premier cas paléoparasitologique de spiruridose humaine au Moyen-Orient.

ACMSFI Hôpital Cochin 27 Faubourg St Jacques 75014 Paris France

Cultural Heritage and Tourism Research Institute Opposite Iran National Museum 30 Tir St Imam Khomeini avenue Tehran Islamic Republic of Iran

Department of Parasitology Pasteur Institute of Iran No 69 12th Farwardin ave 1316943551 Tehran Islamic Republic of Iran

Institute of Parasitology Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences Branišovská 31 České Budějovice 370 05 Czech Republic

School of Public Health Tehran University of Medical Sciences District 6 Pour Sina St P O Box 6446 Tehran 14155 Islamic Republic of Iran

Shaheed Rajaei Cardiovascular Medical and Research Center Valiasr ave Niayesh Intersection Tehran Iran

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