The presence of Fasciola hepatica (Liver-fluke) in humans and cattle from a 4,500 Year old archaeological site in the Saale-Unstrut Valley, Germany
Year: 2003
Type: article
Abstract: During an excavation of a site of the corded ware culture in the Saale-Unstrut-Valley (ca. 3000 BC) in Germany, a soil sample from the pelvis of a human skeleton was studied under palaeoparasitological aspects. Eggs of the trematode Fasciola hepatica and of the nematode genus Capillaria were found. This is the first case of a direct association of a F. hepatica-infestation to both a prehistoric human skeleton and domesticated animal remains. Sheep and cattle bones were present at the same site and F. hepatica eggs were found in bovine samples. This strongly points toward an existing infection cycle, involving humans as a final host.
Authors: K Dittmar, WR Teegen
Institutions: Brigham Young University, Leipzig University
Language: English
Subfield: Archeology
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W2133994240