Throughout history, humans have been afflicted by parasitic worms, and eggs are readily detected in archaeological deposits. This study integrated parasitological and ancient DNA methods with a large sample set dating between Neolithic and Early Modern periods to explore the utility of molecular archaeoparasitology as a new approach to study the past. Molecular analyses provided unequivocal species-level parasite identification and revealed location-specific epidemiological signatures. Faecal-oral transmitted nematodes (Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura) were ubiquitous across time and space. By contrast, high numbers of food-associated cestodes (Diphyllobothrium latum and Taenia saginata) were restricted to medieval Lübeck. The presence of these cestodes and changes in their prevalence at approximately 1300 CE indicate substantial alterations in diet or parasite availability. Trichuris trichiura ITS-1 sequences grouped into two clades; one ubiquitous and one restricted to medieval Lübeck and Bristol. The high sequence diversity of T.tITS-1 detected in Lübeck is consistent with its importance as a Hanseatic trading centre. Collectively, these results introduce molecular archaeoparasitology as an artefact-independent source of historical evidence.
- MeSH
- archeologie MeSH
- cizopasní červi klasifikace fyziologie MeSH
- dějiny 15. století MeSH
- dějiny 16. století MeSH
- dějiny 17. století MeSH
- dějiny starověku MeSH
- dějiny středověku MeSH
- feces parazitologie MeSH
- genetická variace MeSH
- kulturní evoluce * MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- parazitologie MeSH
- počet parazitárních vajíček MeSH
- starobylá DNA analýza MeSH
- trichurióza epidemiologie dějiny parazitologie MeSH
- Trichuris genetika fyziologie MeSH
- velkoměsta MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- dějiny 15. století MeSH
- dějiny 16. století MeSH
- dějiny 17. století MeSH
- dějiny starověku MeSH
- dějiny středověku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- historické články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Německo MeSH
- velkoměsta MeSH
