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Published on: December 14, 2013
Echinostomes in Felid Coprolites from Brazil
L Sianto1, A N Duarte1, V H Borba1
1National School of Public Health, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Cep: 21041-210, Brazil.
Abstract:
The first record of Echinostoma (Trematoda: Echinostomatidae) in coprolites was from a mummified human body in Minas Gerais State, Brazil. The finding raised questions on this parasite's incidence in prehistoric populations and the natural hosts of each species in remote times. Echinostomes occur worldwide and, despite the wide range of hosts, there is no record of Echinostomatidae in felines in Brazil. This study reports the finding of Echinostomatidae eggs in felid coprolites in the Furna do Estrago Archaeological Site, located in Pernambuco State in the Brazilian semiarid. Despite the possibility of false parasitism, the finding expands the distribution of this Digenea in remote times and raises the hypothesis of other cases of echinostomiasis in pre-Colombian populations.
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