Vikings’ Feces Offers Information on the Oldest Parasites

Scientists have found important information about a parasite in the samples they took from the feces of Viking toilets used 2,500 years ago. While it was discovered that the parasite has lived with humans for 55,000 years, its DNA also showed how they have survived for so long.

While researches on the history of the human race continue, studies on the living things in our bodies continue. A new study published in the journal Nature provided important information about a parasite that lived in our bodies hundreds of years ago. Moreover, this information Toilets used by the Vikings thanks to it.

Scientists who examined the toilets used by the Vikings 2,500 years ago, one of the oldest known parasites to live in our body Offered important tips about The parasite in question is still seen today. whipworm (Trichuris trichiura) was.

The parasite has lived with humans for 55 thousand years:

This creature, which is a parasitic worm, continues to cause tricuriasis infection in many people today. Scientists have determined that this species, which can lead to serious effects as a result of their investigations, with humans. for at least 55,000 years discovered he was alive. This discovery was made possible thanks to the eggs of these wolves found in Viking excrement.

Whipworm eggs pass into human feces and remain in the soil and can enter people’s systems by consuming the water in the area. A female whipworm, which can live an average of one year, It can lay up to 20,000 eggs a day. Therefore, hundreds of thousands of these eggs can be released into nature every year thanks to only one female.

whip wolf

On the other hand, eggs can survive for many years thanks to their durability when they are in the soil. Eggs taken from fossil human feces in the soilThanks to their durability, they were able to preserve their DNA structures in the same way. Within the scope of the study, a total of 17 eggs were examined under the microscope.

The results obtained, on the one hand, show that the parasites are not the opposite of the human body, showed that he had adapted new ways to live with the body. In this way, parasites are eliminated by the human body. not detected and by living and reproducing longer, it could infect as many people as possible.

The parasite in question is now extremely rare in industrialized areas such as cities. But the parasite especially in poor areas continues to spread.

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Source :
https://www.sciencealert.com/viking-poop-helps-scientists-reconstruct-genome-of-ancient-human-parasite


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