Parasites are the causative agents of infectious diseases that have affected humans throughout our evolution. Some appear to have been ubiquitous in past societies around the globe, but others were only viable in distinct regions where the conditions suited their complex life cycles. This review considers how we can recover and identify ancient parasites, before interrogating the literature to explore some of the ways this evidence can help us to better understand past societies. Variability in sanitation infrastructure, diet, cooking methods, lifestyle, behaviour and environment all affected the kinds of parasites that could infect past people, and determined how common infection was. The health consequences of parasite infection in different past communities are considered, as we think about the many ways health can be impaired by such infections. Where a good number of studies have focussed on one geographic region, variation in the apparent endemic range of certain parasite species allows an assessment of the relationship between humans and the surrounding environment. When parasites are found outside of their usual range this can be used as a marker of long distance travel and migrations. As the body of evidence for parasites in past populations expands, so do the ways we can use this information in an innovative manner to better understand those who lived in the past.

中文翻译：

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古代寄生虫分析：探索过去社会的传染病


寄生虫是传染病的病原体，在我们的整个进化过程中一直影响着人类。有些似乎在全球过去的社会中无处不在，但另一些则仅在条件适合其复杂生命周期的不同地区存在。这篇综述考虑了我们如何恢复和识别古老的寄生虫，然后询问文献以探索这些证据可以帮助我们更好地了解过去社会的一些方式。卫生基础设施、饮食、烹饪方法、生活方式、行为和环境的可变性都会影响可能感染过去人的寄生虫种类，并决定了感染的常见程度。考虑了过去不同社区寄生虫感染对健康的影响，因为我们考虑了此类感染可能损害健康的多种方式。在大量研究集中在一个地理区域的地方，某些寄生虫物种的明显流行范围的变化可以评估人类与周围环境之间的关系。当发现寄生虫超出其通常的范围时，这可以用作长途旅行和迁移的标志。随着过去人群中寄生虫证据的扩大，我们以创新的方式使用这些信息来更好地了解过去生活的人的方式也在扩大。