First description of Enterobius vermicularis egg in a coprolite dated from the pre-contact in Brazil

Abstract

Coprolites analyses are important to determine the diet and behavioral habits of ancient populations. This study aimed the macroscopic and microscopic examination of a coprolite from the trusteeship of the Archeologic Laboratory of the Goiano Institute of Prehistory and Anthropology (IGPA) from the Pontific University of Goias (PUC), dated from 1985 years B.C. according to the archeological registers of a site located in the Mid-Western region of Brazil. For the macroscopic analyses of the coprolite the sample was weighed and analyzed under a stereoscopic microscope. For the microscopic analyses the sample was rehydrated and parasitologically analyzed under an optic light microscope. The macroscopic analyses detected vegetal, arthropod, Mollusca, vertebrate and fungi remains. While the microscopic one detected Enterobius vermicularis eggs. This is the first finding of E. vermicularis in a paleoparasitological analysis of a coprolite from the Mid-West region of Brazil, dated from the pre-Columbian period. It was possible to detect several indications of an omnivorous diet from the individual who lived in this region in the period of 1985 years B.C. and also the detection of E. vermicularis, which strongly indicated that the analyzed coprolite may have come from a human.