Ethnobiology of the parasitoses: The case of Two-Mbya Guarani communities (Province of Misiones, Argentina)

CRIVOS, MARTA; MARTÍNEZ, MARÍA ROSA; NAVONE, GRACIELA; POCHETTINO; MARÍA LELIA; ARENAS, PATRICIA; DIGIANI, C.; TEVES, LAURA; REMORINI, CAROLINA; SY, ANAHÍ; ILLKOW, C.; DILORENZI, N

Ethnobiology and Biocultural Diversity

University of Georgia Press

Lugar: Athens, GA, USA; Año: 2002; p. 258 - 269

Ethnobiological (either botanical or zoological) and ethnoecological research requires an anthropological approach that utilizes both a holistic and comparative focus to study interactions between man and his natural environment. This kind of study was employed in two Mbyá-Guaraní communities in Misiones located in northeastern Argentina, and allowed us to identify and to characterize locally recognized “illnesses” and the strategies employed to overcome them. Considering the health implications that enteroparasitosis has for the quality of life of local people, we designed an interdisciplinary research team that included parasitologists, ethnographers and ethnobotanists with the aim of exploring local conceptions about ethno-parasites and integrating these findings with the data provided by associated disciplines.