MULTIDISCIPLINARY PALEOPARASITOLOGY IN SOUTHAMERICA

GUEDES, LUCELIA; GURJAO, LUDMILE; FERNANDES, ALEXANDRE; MENDEZ QUIROGA, PABLO; FABRA MARIANA; VIEYRA DE SOUZA, M.; BRITO, LORRAINE; PIRES, MARCELO; SILVA, VERONICA; MAYO IÑIGUEZ, ALENA; DIAS, ONDEMAR; MIRANDA, SERGIO; BORBA, VICTOR HUGO; SKINNER, LAIZ; RAMIREZ, DARIO ALEJANDRO; NETTO, JANDIRA; ARRIAZA, BERNARDO

DAEGU

Congreso; 14th International Congress of Parasitology; 2018

Paleoparasitology, the study of parasites found in archaeological materials, is a term created and stablished in Brazil,with the main objective of exploring the parasitic infections and the relationship with human cultures through the times.Paleoparasitological findings have changed the previously accepted conceptions about the origin of infectious diseases inthe New World. The presence of geohelminths, as well as different parasite genotype, in pre-Columbian populations,could be considered as evidence of alternative routes of peopling of America. Paleogenetic results of TrypanosomacruziDTUI in Native Americans remains indicated that American Trypanosomiases/Chagas disease were present beforethe contact with Europeans. The novel contributions presented here are related to the improving of methods, techniquesand datamining for the recovery of human and animal parasites and or ancient DNA (aDNA) from archaeologicalremains, especially from open archaeological sites and sambaquis, where the degradation of parasite structure is severe.New records of parasites and/or parasite genotypes from pre-Columbian archaeological sites from Brazil, Chile andArgentina will be expounded. Paleoparasitological investigations have shown that cultural process related to agriculture,urbanization, and animal domestication influenced the emergence, prevalence, diversity and load of parasites. Theseinteractions were observed in Chilean people from pre-Inka period to early Hispanic contact, as well as, in Argentineansince initial agriculturists groups. Another important topic is research of the introduction, spread or intensification ofparasites and/or new lineages during in the contact of different continental cultures in America in pre-Columbian and inHistorical times. We have working on integrating archaeology, paleoparasitology, ethnobotany, geoprocessing andpaleogenetic for a better comprehension of diverse paleoepidemiological sceneries of the human evolutionary history inthe past.