Archaeoparasitology information

Archaeoparasitology, a multi-disciplinary field within paleopathology, is the study of parasites in archaeological contexts.^[1] It includes studies of the protozoan and metazoan parasites of humans in the past, as well as parasites which may have affected past human societies, such as those infesting domesticated animals.

Reinhard suggested that the term "archaeoparasitology" be applied to "... all parasitological remains excavated from archaeological contexts ... derived from human activity" and that "the term 'paleoparasitology' be applied to studies of nonhuman, paleontological material." (p. 233)^[2] Paleoparasitology includes all studies of ancient parasites outside of archaeological contexts, such as those found in amber,^[3]^[4] and even dinosaur parasites.^[5]

The first archaeoparasitology report described calcified eggs of Bilharzia haematobia (now Schistosoma haematobium) from the kidneys of an ancient Egyptian mummy.^[6] Since then, many fundamental archaeological questions have been answered by integrating our knowledge of the hosts, life cycles and basic biology of parasites, with the archaeological, anthropological and historical contexts in which they are found.

^ Reinhard KJ, Araújo A (2008). "Archaeoparasitology". In Pearsall, Deborah M. (ed.). Encyclopedia of Archaeology. Amsterdam: Elsevier/Academic Press. pp. 494–501. ISBN 978-0-12-548030-7.
^ Reinhard KJ (1992). "Parasitology as an interpretive tool in archaeology". Am. Antiq. 57 (2): 231–45. doi:10.2307/280729. JSTOR 280729.
^ Poinar G.O., Jr.; H. Poinar (2004). "Paleoleishmania proterus n.gen., n.sp. (Trypanosomatidae: Kinetoplastida) from Cretaceous Burmese amber". Protist. 155 (3): 305–10. doi:10.1078/1434461041844259. PMID 15552057.
^ Wier A, Dolan M, Grimaldi D, Guerrero R, Wagensberg J, Margulis L (February 2002). "Spirochete and protist symbionts of a termite (Mastotermes electrodominicus) in Miocene amber". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 99 (3): 1410–3. Bibcode:2002PNAS...99.1410W. doi:10.1073/pnas.022643899. PMC 122204. PMID 11818534.
^ Poinar G, Boucot AJ (August 2006). "Evidence of intestinal parasites of dinosaurs". Parasitology. 133 (Pt 2): 245–9. doi:10.1017/S0031182006000138. PMID 16623965. S2CID 41076534.
^ Ruffer MA (1910). "Note on the presence of Bilharzia haematobia in Egyptian mummies of the Twentieth Dynasty (1250–1000 BC)". British Medical Journal. 1 (2557): 16. doi:10.1136/bmj.1.2557.16-a. PMC 2330583. PMID 20764829.

[1] Reinhard KJ, Araújo A (2008). "Archaeoparasitology". In Pearsall, Deborah M. (ed.). Encyclopedia of Archaeology. Amsterdam: Elsevier/Academic Press. pp. 494–501. ISBN 978-0-12-548030-7.

[2] Reinhard KJ (1992). "Parasitology as an interpretive tool in archaeology". Am. Antiq. 57 (2): 231–45. doi:10.2307/280729. JSTOR 280729.

[3] Poinar G.O., Jr.; H. Poinar (2004). "Paleoleishmania proterus n.gen., n.sp. (Trypanosomatidae: Kinetoplastida) from Cretaceous Burmese amber". Protist. 155 (3): 305–10. doi:10.1078/1434461041844259. PMID 15552057.

[4] Wier A, Dolan M, Grimaldi D, Guerrero R, Wagensberg J, Margulis L (February 2002). "Spirochete and protist symbionts of a termite (Mastotermes electrodominicus) in Miocene amber". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 99 (3): 1410–3. Bibcode:2002PNAS...99.1410W. doi:10.1073/pnas.022643899. PMC 122204. PMID 11818534.

[5] Poinar G, Boucot AJ (August 2006). "Evidence of intestinal parasites of dinosaurs". Parasitology. 133 (Pt 2): 245–9. doi:10.1017/S0031182006000138. PMID 16623965. S2CID 41076534.

[6] Ruffer MA (1910). "Note on the presence of Bilharzia haematobia in Egyptian mummies of the Twentieth Dynasty (1250–1000 BC)". British Medical Journal. 1 (2557): 16. doi:10.1136/bmj.1.2557.16-a. PMC 2330583. PMID 20764829.