Eimeriid oocysts from archaeological samples in Patagonia, Argentina.
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.
Fugassa
M H
MH
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
Sardella
N H
NH
Taglioretti
V
V
Reinhard
K
K
Araújo
A
A
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