ZOONOTIC PARASITES IN FELINE COPROLITES FROM A HOLOCENIC MORTUARY CONTEXT FROM EASTERN PATAGONIA (ARGENTINA)

BELTRAME, MARÍA ORNELA; SERNA, ALEJANDRO; CAÑAL, VICTORIA; PRATES, LUCIANO

International Journal of Osteoarchaeology

Willey

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2019

Wildlife has been an important source of infectiousdiseases transmissible to humans. Nowadays, it represents a major concern forthe public health, but little is known about the role of the wildlife as reservoirand source of infectious diseases in the past. In this paper, we present apaleoparasitological study on two coprolites of great felid found in CuevaGalpón, an initial late Holocene mortuary site from northeast Patagonia(Argentina). Samples were processed by rehydration, homogenization, filteredand processed by spontaneous sedimentation. The samples were assigned to Puma concolor or Panthera onca. Microscopic observations revealed that bothcoprolites were highly parasitized (nematodes, cestode and coccidian). This impliessome diseases such as taeniasis, spirocercosis, gnathostomiasis,tricostrongylosis and coccidiosis could be present in Patagonia prior to theSpanish colonization and domestic animal introduction. Our overall resultssuggest that great felids could have competed for space with humans and playeda relevant role as reservoirs of some zoonotic diseases. Therefore, this animalcould have entailed an actual risk agent for human health in the site.