Dittmar K, Steyn M
Department of Integrative Biology, Brigham Young University, 401 WIDB, Provo, Utah 84602, USA.
J Parasitol. 2004 Feb;90(1):171-3. doi: 10.1645/GE-3224RN.
Until now, Dicrocoelium sp. eggs have only been recorded from European and 1 North American archaeological sites. We present evidence for the first record of Dicrocoelium sp. from an African archaeological site. A paleoparasitological study was conducted on 7 coprolite samples from K2, a Late Iron Age site on the farm Greefswald, in the Northern Province of South Africa. Standard parasitological analysis revealed the presence of Dicrocoelium sp. and Trichuris sp. eggs. Today, the parasite does not occur in this region. Trichurid eggs are a relatively common find in paleoparasitological analysis. The presence of Dicrocoelium sp. provides new clues about the antiquity of this parasite, as well as aspects of ancient environment, climate, and interactions among humans, animals, and parasites.
到目前为止，双腔吸虫属的虫卵仅在欧洲和北美考古遗址中被发现过。我们首次提供了在非洲考古遗址发现双腔吸虫属的证据。对来自南非北部省格里夫斯瓦尔德农场铁器时代晚期遗址K2的7份粪化石样本进行了古寄生虫学研究。标准寄生虫学分析显示存在双腔吸虫属和鞭虫属的虫卵。如今，该寄生虫在该地区已不存在。在古寄生虫学分析中，鞭虫卵是比较常见的发现。双腔吸虫属的存在为这种寄生虫的古老程度以及古代环境、气候以及人类、动物和寄生虫之间的相互作用提供了新线索。
