Paleo-parasitology and the antiquity of human host-parasite relationships.
Paleo-parasitology may be developed as a new tool to parasite evolution studies. DNA sequences dated thousand years ago, recovered from archaeological material, means the possibility to study parasite-host relationship coevolution through time. Together with tracing parasite-host dispersion throughout the continents, paleo-parasitology points to the interesting field of evolution at the molecular level. In this paper a brief history of paleo-parasitology is traced, pointing to the new perspectives opened by the recent techniques introduced.
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Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública-Fiocruz, Rua Leopoldo Bulhões 1480, 21041-210 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil. adauto@ensp.fiocruz.br
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D000818:Animals; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D049690:History, Ancient; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D006801:Humans; D009106:Mummies / Q000469:parasitology; D010163:Paleontology / Q000379:methods; D010272:Parasitic Diseases / Q000266:history*