@misc{10481/81944,
year = {2023},
month = {4},
url = {https://hdl.handle.net/10481/81944},
abstract = {Objective: To evaluate the presence of Dicrocoelium sp. in a child from a Late Antique funerary context from
Cantabrian Spain and discuss whether the infection is true infection or pseudoparasitosis.
Materials: Four skeletons, including one from a 5–7 year old child, have been analysed from the archaeological
site of El Convent ́on, dated between the sixth and seventh centuries AD.
Methods: The paleoparasitological study was conducted through the analysis of soil samples from different parts
of the skeleton and funerary context using the rehydration, homogenization, and micro-sieving method, and
visualized through brightfield microscopy.
Results: A soil sample from the pelvic region tested positive for Dicrocoelium sp. (possibly D. dendriticum).
Conclusions: The child was infected with Dicrocoelium dendriticum, which based on archaeological and historical
contexts may be related to hygiene or dietary behaviour.
Significance: We present one of the few cases of the identification of a Dicrocoelidae parasite directly associated
with a human skeleton that provides historical knowledge of a zoonotic disease.
Limitations: The diagnosis of a zoonosis through the identification of ancient parasites is complex. In addition,
Dicrocoelium sp. in association with skeletal human remains is rare due to the potential low prevalence of this
parasite.
Suggestions for Further Research: Highlight the importance of paleoparasitological analysis to link parasitic
infection diseases with socioeconomic issues by using funerary contexts with skeletal remains.},
organization = {European Union’s Horizon
2020 the Marie Skłodowska-Curie TRAUMOBITA 895712},
publisher = {Elsevier},
keywords = {Paleoparasitology},
keywords = {Pseudoparasitology},
keywords = {Human-animal interaction},
keywords = {Dicrocoelium},
title = {Zoonotic parasite infection from a funerary context: A Late Antique child case from Cantabrian Spain},
doi = {10.1016/j.ijpp.2023.03.003},
author = {López-Gijón, Ramón and Carnicero, Silvia and Botella-López, Miguel C. and Camarós, Edgard},
}