Human spiruridiasis due toPhysalopteraspp. (Nematoda: Physalopteridae) in a grave of the Shahr-e Sukhteh archeological site of the Bronze Age (2800–2500 BC) in Iran

A rare case of ancient human spiruridiasis caused by Physaloptera spp. nematodes has been identified in a Bronze Age grave at Shahr-i Sokhta, Iran (2800–2500 BC). The discovery, the first record of ancient physalopterosis in the Middle East, was made through paleoparasitological analysis of soil samples from the pelvic and sacrum bones area of a skeleton. Among 320 skeletons examined, only one showed evidence of infection, suggesting possible taphonomic processes or nematophagous fungi may have obscured other cases. This finding challenges assumptions about the rarity of Physaloptera infections in ancient populations.

Makki, M., Dupouy-Camet, J., Seyed Sajjadi, S. M., Moravec, F., Reza Naddaf, S., Mobedi, I., Malekafzali, H., Rezaeian, M., Mohebali, M., Kargar, F., & Mowlavi, G. (2017). Human spiruridiasis due toPhysalopteraspp. (Nematoda: Physalopteridae) in a grave of the Shahr-e Sukhteh archeological site of the Bronze Age (2800–2500 BC) in Iran. Parasite, 24, 18. https://doi.org/10.1051/parasite/2017019