As we learn more about parasites in ancient civilizations, data becomes available that can be used to see how infection may change over time. The aim of this study is to assess how common certain intestinal parasites were in China and Korea in the past 2000 years, and make comparisons with prevalence data from the 20th century. This allows us to go on to investigate how and why changes in parasite prevalence may have occurred at different times. Here we show that Chinese liver fluke (Clonorchissinensis) dropped markedly in prevalence in both Korea and China earlier than did roundworm (Ascarislumbricoides) and whipworm (Trichuristrichiura). We use historical evidence to determine why this was the case, exploring the role of developing sanitation infrastructure, changing use of human feces as crop fertilizer, development of chemical fertilizers, snail control programs, changing dietary preferences, and governmental public health campaigns during the 20th century.
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Ancient parasite analysis: Exploring infectious diseases in past societies Piers D. Mitchell Journal of Archaeological Science.2024; 170: 106067. CrossRef
Updates on parasite infection prevalence in the Joseon period based on parasitological studies of human coprolites isolated from archaeological sites in the cities of Euijeongbu, Gumi, and Wonju Chang Seok Oh, Jong-Yil Chai, Sori Min, Kyong Taek Oh, Jeonghwan Seol, Mi Kyung Song, Dong Hoon Shin, Min Seo Parasites, Hosts and Diseases.2023; 61(1): 89. CrossRef
Liver Fluke Infection Throughout Human Evolution Tianyi Wang, Piers D. Mitchell Gastro Hep Advances.2022; 1(4): 500. CrossRef
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The what, how and why of archaeological coprolite analysis Lisa-Marie Shillito, John C. Blong, Eleanor J. Green, Eline N. van Asperen Earth-Science Reviews.2020; 207: 103196. CrossRef
In this study we take a closer look at the diseases that afflicted Japanese police officers who were stationed in a remote mountainous region of Taiwan from 1921 to 1944. Samples were taken from the latrine at the Huabanuo police outpost, and analyzed for the eggs of intestinal parasites, using microscopy and ELISA. The eggs of Eurytrema sp., (possibly E. pancreaticum), whipworm and roundworm were shown to be present. True infection with Eurytrema would indicate that the policemen ate uncooked grasshoppers and crickets infected with the parasite. However, false parasitism might also occur if the policemen ate the uncooked intestines of infected cattle, and the Eurytrema eggs passed through the human intestines. These findings provide an insight into the diet and health of the Japanese colonists in Taiwan nearly a century ago.
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