02744nas a2200325   4500000000100000008004100001260003700042653002400079653005700103100001100160700001500171700001600186700001000202700001300212700001400225700001000239700001400249700001400263700001300277700001700290700001300307700001300320700001100333245006400344856009900408300001300507490000700520520187700527022001402404       2022                            d  bPublic Library of Science (PLoS)10aInfectious Diseases10aPublic Health, Environmental and Occupational Health1 aRyan H1 aFlammer PG1 aNicholson R1 aLoe L1 aReeves B1 aAllison E1 aGuy C1 aDoriga IL1 aWaldron T1 aWalker D1 aKirchhelle C1 aLarson G1 aSmith AL1 aBabu S00aReconstructing the history of helminth prevalence in the UK  uhttps://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0010312&type=printable  ae00103120 v163 a<p>Intestinal helminth parasites (worms) have afflicted humans throughout history and their eggs are readily detected in archaeological deposits including at locations where intestinal parasites are no longer considered endemic (e.g. the UK). Parasites provide valuable archaeological insights into historical health, sanitation, hygiene, dietary and culinary practices, as well as other factors. Differences in the prevalence of helminths over time may help us understand factors that affected the rate of infection of these parasites in past populations. While communal deposits often contain relatively high numbers of parasite eggs, these cannot be used to calculate prevalence rates, which are a key epidemiological measure of infection. The prevalence of intestinal helminths was investigated through time in England, based on analysis of 464 human burials from 17 sites, dating from the Prehistoric to Industrial periods. Eggs from two faecal-oral transmitted nematodes (Ascaris sp. and Trichuris sp.) and the food-derived cestodes (Taenia spp. and Diphyllobothrium latum syn Dibothriocephalus latus) were identified, although only Ascaris was detected at a high frequency. The changing prevalence of nematode infections can be attributed to changes in effective sanitation or other factors that affect these faecal-oral transmitted parasites and the presence of cestode infections reflect dietary and culinary preferences. These results indicate that the impact of helminth infections on past populations varied over time, and that some locations witnessed a dramatic reduction in parasite prevalence during the industrial era (18th-19th century), whereas other locations continued to experience high prevalence levels. The factors underlying these reductions and the variation in prevalence provide a key historical context for modern anthelmintic programs.</p>
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