Archaeoparasitological data and pathoecology of the town of Mangazeya in Western Siberia in the 17th century

Abstract

In 2002–2003 years, excavations were conducted in the town of Mangazeya, one of the northernmost Russian settlements in Western Siberia. Herein, we report data on the incidence and range of intestinal parasites discovered in samples taken from the occupation layer of Mangazeya and human and animal coprolites.Among the eggs found, Diphyllobothrium sp. and Opisthorchis felineus eggs predominate. They were discovered in most of the examined samples. Considering the obtained results in a historical context, it can be concluded that the most frequent parasitoses in humans and dogs were associated with the consumption of raw fish. Consumption of poorly cooked and/or raw fish most likely derived from relatively stable dietary habits of the first Russian settlers in the region. The clinical problem can also be explained by the adaptation of the settlers to the conditions of the Far North where raw fish was served as an antiscorbutic agent. Taenia sp. eggs found in samples of toilet contents probably indicate that the fish-based diet was supplemented by beef and/or pork.Our analysis also revealed eggs of two geohelminth species, Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura, in human coprolites and samples of toilet contents. Eggs of these geohelminths don't reach the invasive stage at the latitude of Mangazeya. Nevertheless, we cannot exclude that local secondary foci of these invasions could have formed under certain conditions leading to infestations in the town.This study made it possible to supplement, confirm, and reconstruct, in some detail, certain aspects of the economic activities conducted by the inhabitants of Mangazeya. For example, the high incidence of diphyllobothriasis and opisthorchiasis in dogs gives evidence that raw fish was an integral part of their diet. The discovery of Oxyuris equi eggs in a sample from the occupation layer confirms that the population of Mangazeya kept horses. The discovery of Alaria alata and Capillariidae sp. eggs in dog coprolites and samples from the occupation layer allows us to partly determine possible risk factors for some parasitoses in humans.We took the pathoecological approach in this study, as particularly suitable for this kind of research, and, for the first time, it allowed us to outline the urban environment that appeared in the Far North of Western Siberia in the 17th century.