Thursday 19 June 2014

6000-year-old flatworm egg is the oldest confirmed case of schistosomiasis

Paleopathologists found a 6000-year-old schistosome egg, (which causes the dreaded disease schistosomiasis or bilharzia in developing countries today) in a child's remains in ancient Mesopotamia. They believe the find points to the major role agricultural technologies played in the spread of infectious diseases among humans.

http://news.sciencemag.org/archaeology/2014/06/modern-parasite-discovered-ancient-graveyard

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