Abstract
Three different lineages of head lice are known to parasitize humans. Clade A, which is currently worldwide in distribution, was previously demonstrated to be present in the Americas before the time of Columbus. The two other types of head lice are geographically restricted to America and Australia for clade B and to Africa and Asia for clade C. In this study, we tested two operculated nits from a 4,000-year-old Chilean mummy of Camarones for the presence of the partial Cytb mitochondrial gene (270 bp). Our finding shows that clade B head lice were present in America before the arrival of the European colonists.
Highlights
Pediculus humanus capitis is an ancient human parasite most likely associated with humans since our pre-hominid ancestor and dispersed throughout the world by early human migrants [1]
Two other clades of head lice have been reported and have a specific geographical distribution: clade C is restricted to head lice in Ethiopia, Nepal and Senegal [9], whereas the clade B head lice are found in North and Central America, Australia and certain European countries [7]
We report the first identification of both the clade A and the clade B genotypes existing in sympatry in two nits isolated from human remains from pre-Columbian Chile
Summary
Pediculus humanus capitis is an ancient human parasite most likely associated with humans since our pre-hominid ancestor and dispersed throughout the world by early human migrants [1]. The oldest head louse nit was found on a hair from an archaeological site in northeastern Brazil and was dated to 8,000 B.C. Head lice have been found at archaeological sites in the southwestern USA, the Aleutian Islands, Peru, Greenland and Mexico and on mummies that were Incan sacrifices [4]. Another discovery of lice was reported for a Maitas Chiribaya mummy from Arica, in northern Chile, dating to 670–990 A.D. Two operculated nits from a mummy found in Camarones, Chile, were tested to identify the mitochondrial phylotypes of the lice
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