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The aim of this study was to determine if the protozoa that cause dysentery might have been present in Jerusalem, the capital of the Kingdom of Judah, during the Iron Age. Sediments from 2 latrines pertaining to this time period were obtained, 1 dating from the 7th century BCE and another from the 7th to early 6th century BCE. Microscopic investigations have previously shown that the users were infected by whipworm (Trichuris trichiura), roundworm (Ascaris lumbricoides), Taenia sp. tapeworm and pinworm (Enterobius vermicularis). However, the protozoa that cause dysentery are fragile and do not survive well in ancient samples in a form recognizable using light microscopy. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits designed to detect the antigens of Entamoeba histolytica, Cryptosporidium sp. and Giardia duodenalis were used. Results for Entamoeba and Cryptosporidium were negative, while Giardia was positive for both latrine sediments when the analysis was repeated three times. This provides our first microbiological evidence for infective diarrhoeal illnesses that would have affected the populations of the ancient near east. When we integrate descriptions from 2nd and 1st millennium BCE Mesopotamian medical texts, it seems likely that outbreaks of dysentery due to giardiasis may have caused ill health throughout early towns across the region.

The Neolithic period in Europe was subject to marked climatic variations during the fourth millennium BCE in the Alpine arc, marking the transition between the recent Atlantic and the Subboreal. This phase is characterized by falling temperatures and rising humidity in the Northern Hemisphere. Within this phase, between 3700 and 3250 BCE, a more intense phase takes place, known as Rootmoos 2 or Piora 2. This phase is characterized by a significant drop in lake water levels. This climatic change had repercussions on lakeside dwellers, notably through the modification and adaptation of their diet and subsistence modes. Intestinal parasites (helminths), found by human and animals via parasitic markers, seem to respond over time to these climatic variations. At first sight, low lake level phases are characterized by significant proportions of Trichuris at the expense of Diphyllobothrium , as well as an increase in Fasciola. These phases therefore seem to favour parasites indicative of agropastoral activities. During periods of high lake levels, Diphyllobothrium increase in number, pointing to a higher frequency of fishing practices. In sum, during periods of cooler/wetter climate, Neolithic lakeside populations seem to focus more on fishing produce, which may be a response to a destabilization of previously established agropastoral systems, marking a return to more opportunistic behaviour with the exploitation of products from the direct environment. This pilot study tends to evaluate if the evolution of parasitic communities in the 4th millennium BCE could therefore be used to complete our understanding of the effects of climatic variations on societies, both as a direct consequence of environmental destabilization (effect on the hosts) and the result of the behavioural adaptation of the inhabitants, even if it is still difficult to determine the importance of the influence of each factor on these variations. Despite some remaining challenges in the current study, the integration of paleoparasitic data into broader paleoenvironmental models appears promising. Future research can continue to develop along this path. • Compilation of all the available data for lacustrine sites dated for the 4th millennium BCE and from Central Europe lake-dwelling area. • Application of the seriograph method and a novel index to analyse intestinal parasitic spectrum diversity. • Evaluation of the intestinal parasitic spectrum response to climate variations and human opportunistic behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

El hallazgo de parásitos procedentes de contextos arqueológicos nos permite conocer las condiciones socio-económicas y los hábitos alimentarios de las poblaciones pasadas, aportando una visión novedosa en el estudio de dichas sociedades. Pese a su probado interés en la contribución al conocimiento de los estudios arqueológicos, antropológicos y biológicos, apenas se han llevado a cabo investigaciones paleoparasitológicas en España. Este trabajo presenta los resultados de los análisis paleoparasitológicos desarrollados sobre restos esqueletizados de ocho individuos procedentes de la necrópolis romana de Dianium (Dénia, Alicante, España), fechada entre los siglos III a V d.C. Este análisis se ha realizado mediante visualización por microscopía óptica de campo claro. Los resultados han evidenciado la presencia de Ascaris lumbricoides en uno de los individuos. Estos resultados se han integrado con los hallazgos paleopatológicos y antropológicos. La presencia de este parásito se vincula a la falta de higiene, derivada de contaminación ambiental y alimentaria. ABSTRACT: The discovery of parasites remains from archaeological contexts allows us to learn about the socio-economic conditions and eating habits of past populations, providing a bioarchaeological insight into the study of these societies. Despite its proven interest in contributing to the knowledge of archaeological, anthropological and biological studies, very little palaeoparasitological research has been carried out in Spain. This paper presents the palaeoparasitological and anthropological results carried out on Upper and Lower Imperial Roman material from the study of eight skeletonized individuals found at the site of Dianium (Alicante, Spain). Given that these materials were found in previous archaeological campaigns, the sampling was carried out in the laboratory. This is the first time such a is conducted on a Spanish archaeological site. Analysis of ancient parasites were carried out using bright-field optical microscopy. The results showed the presence of Ascaris lumbricoides in one of the individuals. The presence of this parasite is linked to a lack of hygiene, derived from environmental and food contamination. The presence of parasites is related to evidence of bone pathologies. Likewise, the presence of this parasite may be due to the use of human faeces as fertilizer in Roman times. The low number of parasitological evidences may be due to the nature of the materials, as well as the taphonomic processes that took place.

The fill of two late and post-medieval cesspits in Brussels was analyzed using a multidisciplinary approach, including the study of macrobotanical and faunal remains, pollen, and parasite eggs. These show that in the diet plant foods were dominated by cereals while the animal remains document the consumption of mainly fish and birds. The presence of foods that were luxuries at that time would indicate that these were affluent households, although with an admixture of meals related to those of lower socioeconomic status. Seven species of helminth and protozoal parasites were identified, with dominance of those species spread by poor sanitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beckery Chapel, near Glastonbury, is the site which has the earliest scientific dating evidence for monastic life in the UK, and later in the medieval period became a Chapel that played a significant role as a destination for pilgrims, as part of the Glastonbury Abbey estate. The site was previously excavated in the 1880s and the 1960s, and in 2016 the South West Heritage Trust excavated a building, that proved to be an outbuilding used when the medieval chapel was in operation. Soil micromorphological analysis was conducted first to understand the sediments within the profile from this building, which appeared fairly homogenous and bioturbated in the field. It untangled the bioturbation processes and revealed a rare northern European, geoarchaeological example of a livestock enclosure from a dryland context in this temperate environment. The results of our innovative multi-proxy approach highlight the potential and methodological considerations for future studies to integrate micromorphology, palaeoparasitology and mycology to examine animal management on dryland archaeological sites. They increase the knowledge of the economic activities of the ecclesiastical occupation at Beckery, contributing to an enhanced understanding of the Chapel site, its wider landscape and its role as part of the Glastonbury Abbey estate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an original palaeoparasitological study performed on samples from a sedimentary core in a peat bog (Asi Gonia, White Mountains, Crete, Greece). The aim of the study is to test the preservation and concentration of parasitic remains in peat sediments, to discuss animal presence around the site throughout the record, and to compare the results with other biomarkers of environmental history. In this aim, 22 sediment samples distributed between the Roman period and the present were processed and the residues were observed under light microscopy in search of parasitic markers (microscopic eggs or oocysts). The majority of the samples (86.4%) tested positive for the presence of helminth eggs. Several taxa were observed throughout the studied period, including Trichuris sp., Ascaris sp., Capillaria sp., Fasciola sp., Paramphistomum sp. and Macracanthorhynchus sp. The assemblage of parasite markers changes throughout the record and the variations show close correlations with previously published grazing indicators (fungal spores) and vegetation changes (pollen grains). This study sheds lights on animal associations and changing environments in the watershed over the past 2000 years. Indeed, we detected three main phases consisting of: Roman animal herding with pigs in an evergreen oak forest, then a more irregular but almost constant presence of ruminants during a second Byzantine and modern phase in a heather maquis landscape and, finally, present-day grazing in a phrygana/steppe landscape. These results highlight how palaeoparasitology can contribute to multi-proxy approaches in peat bog sedimentary sequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Palaeoparasitological investigation was conducted on a first set of samples from 13 sacrificed domestic camelids recovered from the pre-Hispanic Chimú culture site of Huanchaquito-Las Llamas, Peru. The aim was to establish the animals' gastrointestinal parasite diversity and enlighten on their health status at the time of their death. To this end, 20 samples of coprolites and intestinal contents were analysed to check for the presence of parasite markers, i.e. preserved eggs and oocysts. Microscopic examinations revealed the presence of five taxa of helminths and protozoans in a majority of the tested animals (61%). Our analysis revealed the presence in some animals of protozoan oocysts belonging to the species Eimeria macusaniensis (phylum Apicomplexa). Our study is the first report of the possible presence of a parasite egg attributed to the order Plagiorchiida (family Fasciolidae) in ancient camelids. This preliminary study shows that there is interesting potential for conducting palaeoparasitological analysis at the site and that such analysis is promising for answering questions about the health status of the Huanchaquito-Las Llamas camelids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The expansion of Neolithic stable isotope studies in France now allows distinct regional population-scale food patterns to be linked to both local environment influences and specific economic choices. Carbon and nitrogen isotope values of more than 500 humans and of animal samples also permit hypotheses on sex-biased human provenance. To advance population scale research, we here present the first study that draws together carbon (C), nitrogen (N), sulphur (S) and strontium (Sr), dental calculus, aDNA, and palaeoparasitology analysis to infer intra-population patterns of diet and provenance in a Middle Neolithic population from Le Vigneau 2 (human = 40; fauna = 12; 4720–4350 cal. BC) from north-western France. The data of the different studies, such as palaeoparasitology to detect diet and hygiene, CNS isotopes and dental calculus analysis to examine dietary staples, Sr and S isotopes to discriminate non-locals, and aDNA to detect maternal (mtDNA) versus paternal lineages (Y chromosome), were compared to anthropological information of sex and age. Collagen isotope data suggest a similar diet for all individuals except for one child. The provenance isotopic studies suggest no clear differences between sexes, suggesting both males and females used the territory in a similar pattern and had access to foods from the same environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eggs from an intestinal parasite has been found in a burial radiocarbon dated to 5210-4840 cal BC in Motala, east-central Sweden. The two helminth eggs are identified as Trichuris trichiura (human whipworm). Control samples from the cemetery site were all negative and confirmed that there was no evident contamination of younger material. This discovery raises new questions concerning the early geographical spread and timing of parasitic diseases among hunter-gatherer societies in northern Europe, and in the temperate zone of the northern hemisphere. Whipworm infection (Trichuriasis) is perhaps the disease most associated with crowding and poor sanitation, and as it manifests itself in the youngest dated burial, it could be a contributing factor to the final abandonment of the Mesolithic settlement. Also, parasite eggs found in a soil sample from the Neolithic Alvastra pile dwelling could indicate the continued presence of the Trichuris parasite in east-central Sweden. Generally, parasite ecology can aid in reconstructing human behaviors that include aspects of sedentism, mobility, food preferences, hygiene and other social practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zoonoses are currently considered as one of the most important threats for Public Health worldwide. Numerous zoonoses known today have occurred since antiquity. Carnivores act as definitive hosts for many intestinal parasites; some of them are responsible for several zoonotic diseases. The aim of this work was to study the parasite remains found in coprolites assigned to carnivores from the archaeological site Epullán Chica (ECh) and to discuss the results from a zoonotic point of view. ECh is located in northwestern Patagonia, Argentina and was occupied since the end of the Late Holocene (∼2200 years B.P.). Nine coprolites were examined for parasites. Samples were processed by rehydration in a 0.5 % water solution of trissodium phosphate, followed by homogenization, filtered and processed by spontaneous sedimentation. The macroscopic remains were separated and dried at room temperature and were examined for diet analysis. Six out of 9 coprolites examined were positive for parasites. Representatives of at least 10 parasite taxa were registered. Results are in line with the reconstruction of the scenario of zoonoses in the past and the diseases that the human populations and animals from Patagonia could be exposed. The present study provides the first palaeoparasitological report of carnivore coprolites recovered from the archaeological site Ech and reflects contamination of the cave used by hunter-gatherers with different parasites causative of zoonotic diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research was to determine the species of intestinal parasite present in a Roman Imperial period population in Asia Minor, and to use this information to improve our understanding of health in the eastern Mediterranean region in Roman times. We analyzed five samples from the latrines of the Roman bath complex at Sagalassos, Turkey. Fecal biomarker analysis using 5β-stanols has indicated the feces were of human origin. The eggs of roundworm ( Ascaris ) were identified in all five samples using microscopy, and the cysts of the protozoan Giardia duodenalis (which causes dysentery) were identified multiple times in one sample using ELISA. The positive G. duodenalis result at Sagalassos is particularly important as it represents the earliest reliable evidence for this parasite in the Old World (i.e. outside the Americas). As both these species of parasite are spread through the contamination of food and water by fecal material, their presence implies that Roman sanitation technologies such as latrines and public baths did not break the cycle of reinfection in this population. We then discuss the evidence for roundworm in the writings of the Roman physician Galen, who came from Pergamon, another town in western Asia Minor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to examine the parasite fauna present in rodent coprolites collected from Cueva Huenul 1 (CH1), northern Neuquén (Patagonia, Argentina), an archaeological site that provides stratified sequences of archaeological and palaeontological remains dating from the Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene Transition to the Late Holocene period. Twenty rodent coprolites collected from different sedimentary units from the site, with ages ranging from 13.844 ± 75-1.416 ± 37 years BP, were examined for parasites. Each coprolite was processed as a whole: rehydrated, homogenised, spontaneously sedimented and examined using light microscopy. The coprolites and the eggs of any parasites present were described, measured and photographed. In all, 158 parasite eggs were found in 10 coprolites. The faeces were positive for Viscachataenia quadrata Denegri, Dopchiz, Elissondo & Beveridge and Monoecocestus sp. Beddard (Cestoda: Anoplocephalidae) and for Heteroxynema (Cavioxyura) viscaciae Sutton & Hugot (Nematoda: Oxyuridae). The coprolites examined were tentatively attributed to Lagidium viscacia Molina (Mammalia, Rodentia, Caviomorpha, Chinchillidae). The life cycles of these parasites are discussed.

Here, we investigate the presence of parasitic infections in Neolithic peoples from Taiwan to provide insight into the health and cultural development of these populations. Analysis was conducted on 27 soil samples collected from the pelvic region of human skeletal remains, along with control samples taken from the skulls and feet excavated from the Wushantou site in southwest Taiwan. The samples were disaggregated, passed through micro-sieves, and visualized using light microscopy. Analysis revealed the presence of roundworm eggs (Ascaris lumbricoides) within the remains of one individual. The control samples were negative for parasites, suggesting a true infection in this individual and not later environmental contamination of the soil. This is the first discovery of ancient parasite eggs in prehistoric Taiwan. The low apparent prevalence of parasites in this population is discussed in the context of the environment during this time and the consequences of regional climate on preservation of parasite eggs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

El estudio de los patrones de salud y enfermedad en las poblaciones antiguas plantea la necesidad de desarrollar interacciones entre especialistas de diversas disciplinas. En este contexto, una línea complementaria e independiente a los estudios de Paleopatología Ósea está comenzando a ofrecer sus primeros resultados para Patagonia: la Paleoparasitología. Esta disciplina emplea el examen de sedimentos, tejidos momificados, huesos y coprolitos en sus intentos por descubrir restos parasitarios. Se han conseguido los primeros resultados paleoparasitológicos para Patagonia Austral y se ha definido una estrategia para el tratamiento y conservación de determinados materiales arqueológicos. En la presente comunicación se describe la metodología empleada en el estudio de coprolitos para dicha región y se enfatiza sobre la importancia de su recuperación y conservación para la discusión de cuestiones paleoecológicasThe study of ancient populations’ epidemiological profiles requires joint efforts between specialists of diverse disciplines. In this context, paleoparasitological studies has recently begun to offer independent evidence that supplements more traditional bone palaeopathology studies. Palaeoparasitology analyses sediments, mummified tissue, bones and coprolites in order discover evidence of ancient parasite loads. In this paper/Elsewhere (Cite), the first paleoparasitological results for Southern Patagonia are reported, together with a strategy for the treatment and conservation of specific archaeological materials. Here we outline our methods for the study of coprolites and emphasize the need for recovery and conservation of such remains for paleoecological inferences.

The development of palaeoparasitology in Japan has occurred in recent decades. Despite the fact that archaeology in Japan has been slow to develop techniques for excavating ancient toilets, important information about the development of sanitation has been derived from the analysis of a few sites. This shows that the earliest people had very simple methods of sanitation. As populations increased, sanitation became more complex. Ditches surrounding early towns were used for excrement disposal. Eventually distinct toilets were developed followed by cesspit type toilets and flushing toilets. The parasites recovered from these toilets include many species that infect humans today. These parasite spectra reflect local use of aquatic, marine, and land animals. Fecal borne disease was an increasing problem as represented by whipworm and ascarid roundworm eggs. Interestingly, ascarid roundworms were absent in the earliest cultures and only became common with rice agriculture. Finds of pollen and seeds in toilet sediments reveal the use of medicinal plants to control the emerging problem of parasites.

Since the beginning of the 20th century, research into parasitic diseases has been carried out in the European and American scientific community. The application of the diagnostic methods of current medical coprology to increasingly varied archaeological samples has made it possible to augment the data for Palaeopathology by the discovery of other infectious diseases not before detected.

Parasites have been infecting humans throughout our evolution. However, not all people suffered with the same species or to the same intensity throughout this time. Our changing way of life has altered the suitability of humans to infection by each type of parasite. This analysis focuses upon the evidence for parasites from archaeological excavations at medieval sites across Europe. Comparison between the patterns of infection in the medieval period allows us to see how changes in sanitation, herding animals, growing and fertilizing crops, the fishing industry, food preparation and migration all affected human susceptibility to different parasites. We go on to explore how ectoparasites may have spread infectious bacterial diseases, and also consider what medieval medical practitioners thought of parasites and how they tried to treat them. While modern research has shown the use of a toilet decreases the risk of contracting certain intestinal parasites, the evidence for past societies presented here suggests that the invention of latrines had no observable beneficial effects upon intestinal health. This may be because toilets were not sufficiently ubiquitous until the last century, or that the use of fresh human faeces for manuring crops still ensured those parasite species were easily able to reinfect the population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parasite finds in ancient material launched a new field of science: palaeoparasitology. Ever since the pioneering studies, parasites were identified in archaeological and palaeontological remains, some preserved for millions of years by fossilization. However, the palaeoparasitological record consists mainly of parasites found specifically in human archaeological material, preserved in ancient occupation sites, from prehistory until closer to 2015. The results include some helminth intestinal parasites still commonly found in 2015, such as Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura and hookworms, besides others such as Amoebidae and Giardia intestinalis, as well as viruses, bacteria, fungi and arthropods. These parasites as a whole provide important data on health, diet, climate and living conditions among ancient populations. This chapter describes the principal findings and their importance for knowledge on the origin and dispersal of infectious diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research is to determine which parasites were present in a mediaeval latrine from the old city of Jerusalem. This latrine contains fragments of pottery from the Middle East and also from Italy, suggesting links of some kind with Europe. Excavation identified two separate entry chutes emptying in a shared cesspool. Radiocarbon dating and pottery analysis is compatible with a date of use in the late fifteenth century and early sixteenth century. Twelve coprolites (preserved stool) and mixed cesspool sediment were analysed with light microscopy and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Six species of intestinal parasites were identified. These were the helminths Ascaris lumbricoides (roundworm), Trichuris trichiura (whipworm), Taenia sp. (beef/pork/asiatic tapeworm) Diphyllobothrium sp. (fish tapeworm), and two protozoa that can cause dysentery ( Entamoeba histolytica and Giardia duodenalis ). While roundworm and whipworm were found in every sample, the other parasite species were present in only one or two samples each, suggesting that only a minority of those using the latrine were infected with those species. The role of Jerusalem as a site for long distance trade, migration or pilgrimage is considered when interpreting the Italian pottery and the parasites present, especially E. histolytica and Diphyllobothrium sp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate faecal material from a medieval latrine in the coastal town of Riga (Latvia) in order to identify the intestinal parasites present within the population. We identified very large numbers of the eggs of three species of parasitic intestinal worms that affect humans - fish tapeworm ( Diphyllobothrium latum ), whipworm ( Trichuris trichiura ), and roundworm ( Ascaris lumbricoides ). The fish tapeworm evidence demonstrates that the population were eating large amounts of uncooked fish (perhaps raw, smoked, or pickled) since cooking prevents parasite transmission. ELISA analysis identified the presence of the parasite Entamoeba histolytica , which can cause dysentery in humans. We also noted two eggs of equid pinworm ( Oxyuris equi ) that affects horses and donkeys, demonstrating the presence of this parasite in farm animals of the region by the medieval period. We discuss the implications of these findings for our knowledge of intestinal parasites in coastal areas of the medieval Baltic region, of food consumption, of hygiene, and of the affects of the parasites upon the health of those living in medieval Riga, the most important city in the crusader state of Livonia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human Chagas disease is a purely accidental occurrence. As humans came into contact with the natural foci of infection might then have become infected as a single addition to the already extensive host range of Trypanosoma cruzi that includes other primates. Thus began a process of adaptation and domiciliation to human habitations through which the vectors had direct access to abundant food as well as protection from climatic changes and predators. Our work deals with the extraction and specific amplification by polymerase chain reaction of T. cruzi DNA obtained from mummified human tissues and the positive diagnosis of Chagas disease in a series of 4,000-year-old Pre-Hispanic human mummies from the northern coast of Chile. The area has been inhabited at least for 7,000 years, first by hunters, fishers and gatherers, and then gradually by more permanent settlements. The studied specimens belonged to the Chinchorro culture, a people inhabiting the area now occupied by the modern city of Arica. These were essentially fishers with a complex religious ideology, which accounts for the preservation of their dead in the way of mummified bodies, further enhanced by the extremely dry conditions of the desert. Chinchorro mummies are, perhaps, the oldest preserved bodies known to date.

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to review the use of genetics in palaeomicrobiology, and to highlight the importance of understanding past diseases. Palaeomicrobiology is the study of disease pathogens in skeletal and mummified remains from archaeological contexts. It has revolutionarised our understanding of health in the past by enabling a deeper knowledge of the origins and evolution of many diseases that have shaped us as a species. Bacterial diseases explored include tuberculosis, leprosy, bubonic plague, typhoid, syphilis, endemic and epidemic typhus, trench fever, and Helicobacter pylori. Viral diseases discussed include influenza, hepatitis B, human papilloma virus (HPV), human T-cell lymphotrophic virus (HTLV-1) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Parasitic diseases investigated include malaria, leishmaniasis, Chagas' disease, roundworm, whipworm, pinworm, Chinese liver fluke, fleas and lice. Through a better understanding of disease origins and their evolution, we can place into context how many infectious diseases are changing over time, and so help us estimate how they may change in the future. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights: [•] Analysis of a 12th century AD latrine from a crusader castle on Cyprus. [•] Eggs of two species of parasitic intestinal helminths identified. [•] Consequences of intestinal parasites upon nutritional status discussed. [•] Theory of increased risk of starvation in sieges and crusade expeditions explored. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Parasitological analyses of the third Pavilion du Levant and the Royal Pavilion are in continuity with those carried out by Françoise Bouchet on the latrines of the second Pavilion du Levant, published in 1998. The initial objective is to confirm the excremental nature of these different deposits and then to reconstitute the health status and microbial population of the intestinal flora of the subjects of Louis XIV’s court. To answer this question, a large multidisciplinary scientific team intervened to carry out the various parasitological and molecular analyses. This first report sets out the means put in place as well as the results relating to optical microscopy, toxicological and metagenomic data.

Abstract: This paper focuses on the lancet fluke, Dicrocoelium sp., and includes a complete review of the literature as well as numerous new research results. The compilation of all these data led to a global overview of ancient dicrocoeliosis history. The presence of the lancet fluke in Western Europe was attested from 550,000 years BP to the 16th century AD Moreover, the parasite was identified in the New World around the 17th century AD following the colonization of Canada by Europeans. The role of human and animal migrations is discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Rodents are the most diversified mammalian order (484 extant genera including 2277 species), and they have a worldwide distribution. Palaeontological, morphological and molecular data have greatly helped to resolve their systematics and evolutionary history. However, some discrepancies remain between palaeontologists and molecular biologists. New techniques in molecular biology, and especially in palaeogenetics, allow us to have direct access to the hereditary material of extinct organisms, and they can compensate for some morphological limits. Unfortunately, few studies are dealing with rodent palaeogenetics, despite the amount of museum and fossil material available. Here, we review the major research activities in rodent palaeogenetics (phylogeny, genetic diversity, migration), and we present the promising research perspectives in this field (phylochronology, palaeoparasitology). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: New taphonomic approach of the coprolites of Hârşova Tell (Romania): contribution of the cathodoluminescence. A study was conducted on petrographic thin sections of coprolites from the Neolithic site of Hârşova. Two varieties of coprolites, a compact and a friable one, could be distinguished. Both types contain bone particles, which is indicative of a carnivore or an omnivore''s origin. Complementary light-optical- and cathodoluminescence-microscopy analyses were carried out on coprolites. Cathodoluminescence microscopy clearly revealed a variable degree of Mn-bearing calcite precipitation in the pores of the coprolites. This mineralization was likely caused by advective water transport through the pore system. Therefore, cathodoluminescence investigations show a great potential to gain a better knowledge of the early fossilization process in coprolites. To cite this article: M. Le Bailly et al., C. R. Palevol 5 (2006) . [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Ruffer was the first researcher to show, using hydration of samples and histological techniques, the presence of Schistosoma haematobium eggs in the kidneys of Egyptian mummies dating between 1250 BC and 1000 BC. Since then, with the collaboration of archaeologists, palynologists, parasitologists, biologists, entomologists, ecologists, malacologists…new ideas have arisen and different techniques have been adapted for the study of parasites in an archaeological context. Research into the hydration of samples has been carried out, and flotation and sedimentation techniques started to be used, testing different solutions. Eggs, larvae and adults of both ecto- and endoparasites, as well as non-parasitic arthropods have been found, but none of the methods used have enabled to quantify the parasitic forms found, which is important to know the epidemiology of parasitic diseases and to carry out comparative studies. At present, the development of molecular biology techniques applied to palaeoparasitology is permitting the detection of traces of parasites in the past. Different samples taken from the 13 tombs existing in the royal burial chamber at St Isidoro''s Collegiate-Basilica in León, Spain were sent to our laboratory. But the main object of this study is to contribute to the application of other methods used successfully in the field of palaeoparasitology: the hydration, the McMaster method, the use of the compressorium and triquineloscope, as well as the different methods used to analyse hair samples. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]