Scientists conducted a genetic analysis of worms found in the feces of ancient Scandinavians in Denmark. Article about it published In Nature Communication.
Vlasoglav is a roundworm that causes the disease trichocephalosis. The worm was named so because of the unusual shape of the body: the anterior part of its body is filamentous, through which only the esophagus passes, and the posterior part is much wider. In modern developed countries, people become infected extremely rarely, but in the third world it is still a common disease.
Scientists from the University of Copenhagen studied the toilets of ancient Scandinavians in Copenhagen and Viborg. There they found the worm eggs in good condition, cleaned their feces and sequenced their DNA. Their age is approximately equal to a thousand years. “Luckily for us, the eggs are designed to survive for a long time in the soil. Under optimal conditions, the parasite’s genetic material can be very well preserved after many years. In nature, the eggs develop in the soil for three months, and after that they wait to be eaten by a new host, from which they will later hatch in the digestive tract. “They can live even longer,” he said.
These genetic data were compared to DNA from modern whipworms, as well as similar findings in many countries, including Africa. As a result, scientists have confirmed the theory that the whipworm spread around the world from Africa with humans about 55,000 years ago, following the hypothesis of the so-called human migration from Africa. This is supported by the fact that the genetic diversity of worms is greatest in Uganda.
Source: Gazeta
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