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New evidence for the antiquity of the intestinal parasite Trichuris (whipworm) in Europe

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 March 2015

Petra Dark
Petra Dark*
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, University of Reading, Whiteknights PO Box 227, Reading RG6 6AB, UK
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Abstract

The whipworm, Trichuris trichiura L., is one of the most common human intestinal parasites worldwide, yet little is known of its origin and global spread. Archaeological records for this nematode have all been of Neolithic or later date, suggesting a possible association between the spread of pastoral farming and human acquisition of whipworm. This paper reports the discovery of eggs of the genus Trichuris in late Mesolithic deposits from south Wales, indicating that whipworm was present in Europe before the arrival of agriculture. This raises the possibility that human infection by Trichuris arose through contact with wild animals in parts of the landscape frequented by both human and animal groups.

Keywords

Severn EstuaryGoldcliffMesolithicTrichuriswhipwormnematodeendoparasite
Type
Method
Information
Antiquity , Volume 78 , Issue 301 , September 2004 , pp. 676 - 681
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd. 2004

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