First report in pre-Columbian mummies from Bolivia of Enterobius vermicularis infection and capillariid eggs: A contribution to Paleoparasitology studies.

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to search for ancient parasites in abdominal content and coprolites from Bolivian mummies. MATERIALS: Twelve mummified individuals from the Andean highlands, housed at the National Museum of Archaeology (MUNARQ) in La Paz, Bolivia. METHODS: Microscopic analysis of rehydrated samples (coprolites and abdominal content), following Lutz's spontaneous sedimentation technique. RESULTS: Eggs of Enterobius vermicularis were identified in coprolites from one mummy, and capillariid eggs in the organic abdominal content from another individual. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first evidence of ancient intestinal parasites in Bolivian mummies. SIGNIFICANCE: This pioneering study focused on the search of ancient intestinal parasites in human remains of the Bolivian Andes and contributes to greater knowledge of paleoparasitology in South America. LIMITATIONS: All mummies in the MUNARQ belonged to the Andean Bolivian highlands (post-Tiwanaku era or Late Intermediate Period), although the exact provenance of the material and the associated contexts are not well recorded. SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH: Considering the great number of well-known archaeological sites and other unexplored sites in Bolivia, in addition to large collections in museums, further paleopathological and paleoparasitological molecular studies in mummies and skeletons are called for.

Confusing a Pollen Grain with a Parasite Egg: an Appraisal of "Paleoparasitological Evidence of Pinworm (Enterobius Vermicularis) Infection in a Female Adolescent Residing in Ancient Tehran".

There is often the risk of confusing pollen grains with helminth eggs from archaeological sites. Thousands to millions of pollen grains can be recovered from archaeological burial sediments that represent past ritual, medication and environment. Some pollen grain types can be similar to parasite eggs. Such a confusion is represented by the diagnosis of enterobiasis in ancient Iran. The authors of this study confused a joint-pine (Ephedra spp.) pollen grain with a pinworm egg. This paper describes the specific Ephedra pollen morphology that can be confused with pinworm eggs.

Fitoterapia de la enterobiosis en escolares del Distrito de Ate-Vitarte. Lima-Perú, 1992 / Entherobiosis phytotherapy in students of Ate-Vitarte. Lima-Perú 1992

Se ha trabajado con una muestra poblacional de 190 niños que estudian en el Centro Educativo no estatal (CENE) "Walt Witman" de la Cooperativa 27 de abril, del distrito de Ate-Vitarte Lima. De los 190 niños estudiados, 105 resultaron positivos a enterobius vermicularis, mediante la técnica de Graham modificada. El objetivo principal es el demostrar la eficacia del tratamiento dosificando almendra de la pepa del zapallo (cucurbita maxima) y de las pepas de la papaya (carica papaya). Comprobando primero "in vitro" frente a ascaris soom, para luego determinar las dosis ideales, para ser administradas a los niños en mención, registrándose que el tratamiento con pepas de papaya es más eficaz y mejor tolerado. Estos productos son de bajo costo y no han producido efectos colaterales o secundarios.

Autopsies on two native American Mummies.

An interdisciplinary team performed autopsies on an adult male and an infant male mummy from the American Southwest. Cause of death has not been determined for the infant. The presence of an unhealed skull fracture associated with an apparent hematoma in the adult male is suggestive of trauma as the cause of death in the adult. Evidence of disease is minimal. Analysis of powder thought to be dried blood from the thoracic cavity of the adult suggests the presence of human IgG. The instability of this protein may indicate the presence of proteolytic activity by enzymes that degrade immunoglobulins upon rehydration. The possibility of enzymatic degradation of proteins will be an important factor in future studies of such immunoglobulins in mummy remains and also indicates the importance of maintaining the desiccated condition of mummy tissues.