Dna in Viking feces provides new clues to intestinal partnerships 55,000 years ago

Using stool samples from Viking toilets, researchers at the University of Copenhagen have mapped a genetic map

Researchers from the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences at the University of Copenhagen and the Wellcome Sanger Institute in the UK used egg fossils from 2,500-year-old Viking settlements in Denmark and other countries to conduct the largest and most in-depth genetic analysis of one of the oldest parasites

The study, published in Nature Communications, presents entirely new knowledge

The study shows that humans and parasites have developed a subtle interaction over thousands of years, with parasites trying not to be repelled "under the radar," which gives it more time to infect new people

Although the parasite trichiura is now rare in industrialized countries and usually causes only mild problems in healthy individuals, it is estimated that 500 million people in developing countries are infected with this parasite

"For people who are malnourished or have compromised immune systems, whipworms can cause serious disease.

Fossil toilet feces from Copenhagen and Viborg

Eggs, rather than whipworms, make it possible for researchers to examine the genetic material

By examining fecal fossil samples previously found in toilets in Viking settlements in Viborg and Copenhagen, the researchers isolated the eggs under a microscope, screened them from the feces, and performed a fine genetic analysis of them, which the researchers have been refining for years

"We knew early on that we could detect 9,000-year-old parasite eggs

The researchers examined archaeological stool samples from several locations

Christian Capel explains: "Unsurprisingly, we can see that whipworms appear to have spread from Africa to the rest of the world about 55,000 years ago with humans, based on the so-called 'out of Africa' hypothesis of

Can you lurk in your intestines for a few months?

Whipworms can grow to 5 to 7 cm long and live in the intestines of healthy people for months without being detected

Whipworms are transmitted through the fecal-oral route, which means that tiny parasite eggs in the soil can be spread to drinking water or food, where they are then ingested

"The eggs grow underground, about three months

As a result, during the golden age of these whipworms, our toilet and kitchen conditions, as well as personal hygiene, were very different

"During the Viking and medieval periods, the sanitary conditions were not very good, and the cooking and toilet facilities were not completely separated
.
This gives whipworms a better chance of
spreading.
Today, this is very rare in industrialized parts of the
world.
Unfortunately, there are still favorable conditions for transmission in less developed parts of the world," Christian Kapel said
.

essay

Population genomics of ancient and modern Trichuris trichiura