Paleoparasitological analysis of coprolites from K2, an Iron Age archaeological site in South Africa: the first finding of Dicrocoelium sp. eggs.

Until now, Dicrocoelium sp. eggs have only been recorded from European and 1 North American archaeological sites. We present evidence for the first record of Dicrocoelium sp. from an African archaeological site. A paleoparasitological study was conducted on 7 coprolite samples from K2, a Late Iron Age site on the farm Greefswald, in the Northern Province of South Africa. Standard parasitological analysis revealed the presence of Dicrocoelium sp. and Trichuris sp. eggs. Today, the parasite does not occur in this region. Trichurid eggs are a relatively common find in paleoparasitological analysis. The presence of Dicrocoelium sp. provides new clues about the antiquity of this parasite, as well as aspects of ancient environment, climate, and interactions among humans, animals, and parasites.