Roundworm Ascaris Lumbricoides Research Articles

HEMOLYSINS FROM PARASITIC WORMS

It is a well known fact that anemia is frequently present in cases of intestinal helminthiasis. Numerous cases of severe anemia, clinically indistinguishable from pernicious anemia, have been reported by clinicians and ascribed to the presence of various intestinal parasites, the removal of the parasites by anthelmintic medication resulting in an amelioration of the symptoms and eventually in complete recovery. That the broad tapeworm ( Diphyllobothrium latum ) and hookworms ( Necator americanus and Ancylostoma duodenale ) may cause an anemia has been recognized for a long time. That other intestinal parasites, notably the large intestinal roundworm ( Ascaris lumbricoides ) and the whipworm ( Trichuris trichiura ), may likewise be destructive to the erythrocytes of the host has not been generally recognized although certain parasitologists have from time to time called attention to this point. While the loss of blood in cases of infestation with nematodes may be accounted for in part as a result of the

Rise Up! Rise Up, Crusaders!

The aim of this research is to highlight the role of ancient parasites as evidence for human migration in past populations. The material analysed was soil sediment from the excavation of a medieval cesspool in the city of Acre, in Israel. Archaeological stratigraphy and radiocarbon dating of a fragment of animal bone from the cesspool confirm its use in the 13th century CE, during the crusader period. At that time Acre was located in the Frankish Kingdom of Jerusalem. Soil samples from the cesspool were analysed and eggs of the roundworm (Ascaris lumbricoides) and fish tapeworm (Diphyllobothrium latum) were identified. The fish tapeworm has only been found in the mainland Near East once before, in a latrine of the crusader Order of St. John (Knights Hospitaller). It has been absent in all earlier cesspools, latrines and coprolites so far studied in the region. In contrast to its rarity in the Levant, the fish tapeworm was common in northern Europe during the medieval period. The presence of fish tapeworm eggs in a crusader period cesspool in Acre suggests its use by crusaders or pilgrims from northern Europe who travelled to the Levant carrying these parasites in their intestines.