title: Eimeriid oocysts from archaeological samples in Patagonia, Argentina.
abstract: Oocysts attributable to E. macusaniensis Guerrero et al. 1971, were found in coprolites and in archaeological sediments dating to the Holocene of Patagonia, Argentina. By means of a non-parametric regression using a generalized additive model, a significant relationship was found between the size of the oocysts and their antiquity. Specifically, a reduction in oocyst size over time was discovered, probably due to a parasite response to host replacement, to an extinct eimeriid species common during the Pliestocene-Holocene transition, or to environmental changes known for the Holocene. Explanations regarding coevolution between parasites, hosts and paleoenvironmental conditions are discussed herein.
authors.affiliation: Conicet-Laboratorio de Zoonosis Parasitarias, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Mar del Plata, Argentina. mfugassa@mdp.edu.ar
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Fugassa
authors.forename: N H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Sardella
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Taglioretti
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Reinhard
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Araújo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001118:Argentina; D002161:Camelids, New World / Q000469:parasitology*; D003048:Coccidiosis / Q000266:history* / Q000662:veterinary; D004539:Eimeria / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology*; D005580:Fossils; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000469:parasitology; D049690:History, Ancient; D010164:Paleopathology