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Tracking the existence of Dioctophyma renale in Parthian Empire of Iran (247 BC-224 AD)
Negar Bizhani1, Faezeh Najafi1, Mohmmad Bagher Rokni1
1Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract:
Paleoparasitological investigation in the archeological site of the Caspian Sea littoral revealed the presence of human Dioctophyma renale infection, a ubiquitous kidney-residing helminth of mammals, during the Parthian Empire of Iran (247 BC-224 AD). This study reports the oldest human infection with giant kidney worm in the Middle East, mainly in an area where the infection is reported nowadays. The paucity of records throughout the literature suggests that the same species of parasite occurred with low frequency in the past, as well. The cemetery in the archeological site of Kiasar represented a unique opportunity of studying human and animal parasites of the Parthian Empire in Iran.
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