Protozoan infection in archaeological material
https://doi.org/10.4081/jbr.2005.10136
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
The identification of parasites in ancient human feces is compromised by differential preservation of identifiable parasite structures. However, protein molecules can survive the damage of the environment. It was possible to detected antigen of Entamoeba histolytica and Giardia duodenalis in historic and prehistoric human fecal remains using two enzyme immunoassay (ELISA) kits with monoclonal antibodies specific for E. histolytica and G. duodenalis, respectively. Specimens of desiccated feces and ancient latrine sediment from the New and the Old World were examined. The ELISA detected E. histolytica antigen in samples from Argentina, USA, France, Belgium, and Switzerland, dated to about 5300 years BP to the 19th Century AD. G. duodenalis antigen was detected in samples from USA, Belgium, and Germany, dated to about 1200 AD, 1600 AD, and 1700 AD. The detection of protozoan antigen using immunoassays is a reliable tool for the study of intestinal parasites in the past.
PAGEPress has chosen to apply the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0) to all manuscripts to be published.
Downloads
Citations
