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The aim of this research was to determine the species of intestinal parasite present in a Roman Imperial period population in Asia Minor, and to use this information to improve our understanding of health in the eastern Mediterranean region in Roman times. We analyzed five samples from the latrines of the Roman bath complex at Sagalassos, Turkey. Fecal biomarker analysis using 5β-stanols has indicated the feces were of human origin. The eggs of roundworm (Ascaris) were identified in all five samples using microscopy, and the cysts of the protozoan Giardia duodenalis (which causes dysentery) were identified multiple times in one sample using ELISA. The positive G. duodenalis result at Sagalassos is particularly important as it represents the earliest reliable evidence for this parasite in the Old World (i.e. outside the Americas). As both these species of parasite are spread through the contamination of food and water by fecal material, their presence implies that Roman sanitation technologies such as latrines and public baths did not break the cycle of reinfection in this population. We then discuss the evidence for roundworm in the writings of the Roman physician Galen, who came from Pergamon, another town in western Asia Minor., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The aim of this research is to determine which parasites were present in a mediaeval latrine from the old city of Jerusalem. This latrine contains fragments of pottery from the Middle East and also from Italy, suggesting links of some kind with Europe. Excavation identified two separate entry chutes emptying in a shared cesspool. Radiocarbon dating and pottery analysis is compatible with a date of use in the late fifteenth century and early sixteenth century. Twelve coprolites (preserved stool) and mixed cesspool sediment were analysed with light microscopy and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Six species of intestinal parasites were identified. These were the helminths Ascaris lumbricoides (roundworm), Trichuris trichiura (whipworm), Taenia sp. (beef/pork/asiatic tapeworm) Diphyllobothrium sp. (fish tapeworm), and two protozoa that can cause dysentery (Entamoeba histolytica and Giardia duodenalis). While roundworm and whipworm were found in every sample, the other parasite species were present in only one or two samples each, suggesting that only a minority of those using the latrine were infected with those species. The role of Jerusalem as a site for long distance trade, migration or pilgrimage is considered when interpreting the Italian pottery and the parasites present, especially E. histolytica and Diphyllobothrium sp., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Saranda Kolones (Forty Columns) at Paphos in Cyprus was a mediaeval concentric castle built after King Richard I of England captured the island in 1191AD, during the Third Crusade. The aim of this research is to determine whether the garrison of the castle was infected by intestinal parasitic helminths (endoparasites). The analysis was undertaken on soil sediments recovered from a latrine inside the castle. The microscopic examination demonstrated the eggs of two species of parasites, the roundworm (Ascaris lumbricoides) and whipworm (Trichuris trichiura). Control samples were negative, confirming the parasite eggs seen were not due to contamination from later time periods. Both roundworms and whipworms are transmitted faecal-orally and thus their presence in Saranda Kolones reflects the poor hygiene conditions that prevailed in mediaeval castles. Past research suggests that 15-20% of crusaders in long expeditions died from malnutrition and infectious diseases. The discovery of these parasites highlights how mediaeval crusaders may have been at risk of malnutrition at times of siege and famine as these worms competed with them for nutrients. This research allows comparison with crusader period latrines from the mainland Levant and helps us reconstruct the health environment of a mediaeval castle., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)