Food, parasites, and epidemiological transitions: A broad perspective

Area of Science:

• Paleoecology and Paleopathology
• Archaeoparasitology
• Bioarchaeology

Background:

• Pathoecology offers frameworks for studying ancient disease transmission.
• Archaeological and anthropological data provide insights into past health and human-environment interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze Old and New World parasite evidence.
• To understand how ancient populations exploited environments and acquired zoonotic parasites.
• To compare the impact of the agricultural transition on zoonotic infections in the Americas versus Europe.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of archaeological samples from the Old and New Worlds.
• Integration of archaeological and anthropological data.
• Paleoepidemiological analysis of helminth (worm) endoparasites.

Main Results:

• Intestinal helminths infected ancient New World populations before European contact, but less intensely than in ancient Europe.
• The transition to agriculture did not alter zoonotic infection patterns in the Americas.
• In Europe, the agricultural transition led to increased zoonotic parasitism from domestic animals.

Conclusions:

• Ancient parasite evidence highlights differing infection dynamics between continents.
• The first paleoepidemiological transition had a distinct impact on the Americas compared to Europe.
• Environmental exploitation and domestication played key roles in zoonotic parasite transmission.