Abstract
In the field of archaeological parasitology, researchers have long documented the distribution of parasites in archaeological time and space through the analysis of coprolites and human remains. This area of research defined the origin and migration of parasites through presence/absence studies. By the end of the 20th century, the field of pathoecology had emerged as researchers developed an interest in the ancient ecology of parasite transmission. Supporting studies were conducted to establish the relationships between parasites and humans, including cultural, subsistence, and ecological reconstructions. Parasite prevalence data were collected to infer the impact of parasitism on human health. In the last few decades, a paleoepidemiological approach has emerged with a focus on applying statistical techniques for quantification. The application of egg per gram (EPG) quantification methods provide data about parasites’ prevalence in ancient populations and also identify the pathological potential that parasitism presented in different time periods and geographic places. Herein, we compare the methods used in several laboratories for reporting parasite prevalence and EPG quantification. We present newer quantification methods to explore patterns of parasite overdispersion among ancient people. These new methods will be able to produce more realistic measures of parasite infections among people of the past. These measures allow researchers to compare epidemiological patterns in both ancient and modern populations.
Highlights
Parasite evidence has been recovered from mummies, coprolites and skeletons for six decades
The researchers focusing on archaeological parasitology had different goals through the years of study
Prevalence data stimulated interest in the consequences that parasite infections had among ancient people
Summary
Parasite evidence has been recovered from mummies, coprolites and skeletons for six decades. Between 1955 and 1969, pioneering researchers developed methods for the recovery of parasite evidence and published their findings for several regions [1–3]. This approach reached its most successful year in 1969 with. In the decade of the 1970s, the analysis of large numbers of coprolites archived in museums intensified (Table 1) From these collections, parasite prevalence was assessed [1–3]. Prevalence is a statistical concept referring to the number of cases of an infection disease that are present in a particular population at a given time This has to be carefully approached archaeologically because the actual population represented by the coprolite series has to be assessed by field and museum.
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