Gastrointestinal Parasites of Ancient Domestic Goats from the Archaeological Site Cueva Huenul 1, Patagonia, Argentina

The goat is one of the first herbivores to be domesticated, expanding throughout the world. Goats were introduced in South America during the sixteenth century. Gastrointestinal (GI) parasitism constitutes one of the main constraints to the breeding of goats worldwide. This is the first study conducted to investigate the GI parasites recovered from goat coprolites from historical times of Patagonia. Goat coprolites were studied from the archaeological site Cueva Huenul I. Coprolites were processed by rehydration followed by homogenisation and sieved for spontaneous sedimentation. Samples were examined by light microscopy. At least 12 parasite species were recorded. In this first paleoparasitological study of Patagonian ancient goats we found a high percentage of positive samples. We recorded parasite species that currently are common in wild and domestic ruminants, some of them are of public health and veterinary importance; several species are zoonotic. Our results suggest that this could also have been a problem in terms of animal and human health in historical times. The results urge further investigation of the diversity and origin of the infectious diseases of domesticated animals around the dispersal routes associated with ancient human activities and their interaction with native species.