Paleoparasitology in archaeological populations (2500-500 years BP) from the Center of Argentina

RAMIREZ, DARÍO ALEJANDRO; VIEIRA DE SOUZA, MÔNICA; IÑIGUEZ MAYO, ALENA; FABRA, MARIANA

Arica

Congreso; VII Congreso de la Asociación de Paleopatología en Sudamérica PAMinSAI; 2017

Paleoparasitology is a discipline that aims to study the origin and evolution of parasites, in archaeological and paleontological materials. In the last decade, paleoparasitological studies have experienced a great development in Argentina, focusing mainly on samples from archaeological sites of Patagonia. Sediments of the pelvic cavity and sacral foramina (n=20) of 13 individuals from four archaeological sites (El Diquecito, Loteo 5, Guasmara and El Vado) in the Province of Córdoba, Argentina, were analyzed for parasitic remains. In addition, control samples were processed from inside the skull to rule out possible environmental parasite contamination. Initially, the samples were rehydrated with 0.5% aqueous solution of trisodium phosphate for 72 hours and then processed by spontaneous sedimentation, sucrose solution flotation and 10% hydrochloric acid disintegration, followed by optical microscope observation with 100x magnification and 400x. The analysis showed the presence of eggs of Heterakoidea, Ascaridoidea and of unidentified nematodes, as well as free-living larva of Strongyloides sp. and an unidentified species. The analysis of the control samples presented parasites in an individual from the El Diquecito site. This information suggests that local streams constantly wash away the sediment, as the location of the site is on the shore of a lagoon. The scarcity of remains found is probably due to taphonomic processes that may have impaired conservation, since these sites are located in open spaces, affected by percolation, rainwater, and the actions of animals and plants. These results indicate that the past populations that inhabited these spaces were exposed to parasitic infections. This is the first time that the presence of parasites in archaeological sites of the region has been demostrated.