A McMaster University researcher has uncovered evidence of intestinal parasites in a 500-year-old latrine from Bruges, Belgium. While the findings might make some queasy, they offer vital scientific insight into the historical spread of infectious diseases through travel and trade.
The study, published in the journal Parasitology, presents some of the earliest evidence of schistosomiasis found outside its endemic region of Africa.
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“Many of the parasites we see today have been around for centuries. One of our goals in infectious disease studies is to understand where in the world people had these parasites in the past and how their epidemiology has changed through time,” explains Marissa Ledger, a post-doctoral fellow at McMaster’s Ancient DNA Centre and the lead researcher on the project.
Schistosomiasis, caused by the water-borne flatworm Schistosoma mansoni, can penetrate the skin, travel through the bloodstream, and establish itself in the intestines. The parasite reproduces and releases eggs, which are excreted in human waste. Ledger identified a preserved parasite egg in the contents of a 15th-century latrine, located thousands of kilometres away from the parasite’s native African range.
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Historical and Archaeological Context
The latrine was unearthed during an excavation in 1996 but was only recently analyzed as part of a broader research project led by Ghent University. The project explores the lives of foreign communities living and trading in medieval Bruges and its former harbor towns.
The latrine was associated with the Spanish nation house, the administrative center and meeting place for the Castilian merchant community in Bruges. Researchers suggest the parasite could be linked to one of these traders, who facilitated the import of African commodities like gold, ivory, and spices. Historical records also reveal that these merchants were involved in the early Atlantic slave trade, further underscoring Bruges’ role in global connectivity.
“This combination of rich historical records with archaeological and parasitological data is quite unique,” says Ledger. “It helps us better understand human migration and disease transmission in the past and highlights the significance of this Belgian-Canadian collaboration.”
The findings highlight the complexity of medieval urban life and the far-reaching impact of international trade networks. Bruges, a thriving hub for goods, people, and ideas in the medieval period, also inadvertently became a conduit for disease transmission.
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“Our findings speak to the complexity of medieval urban life and how interconnected this world was centuries ago. It not only provides novel insight into daily life of people in medieval Bruges but also shows how the city, known as an international hub for people, goods, and ideas, inevitably also facilitated the spread of diseases through its strong maritime trade networks,” says Maxime Poulain, an archaeologist at Ghent University.
📜 In 1996, a 15th-c. cesspit was excavated in Bruges’ Spanjaardstraat. Recent analysis revealed an S. mansoni egg—marking the northernmost discovery of this parasite, typically confined to Africa and its specific freshwater snails. How did it get here?
The discovery underscores the importance of examining organic remains in archaeological sites. Such analysis can reveal critical information about the health, hygiene, and mobility of past populations.
Ledger is now investigating the genetics of the parasite to compare it with modern strains, offering a glimpse into the evolution of infectious diseases.
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“Understanding these parasites over a broader time frame provides more information on how they are impacted by factors like migration. Even in the past, as people were migrating over these long distances, they were still very effectively moving infectious diseases across long distances. That’s incredibly useful to know,” Ledger adds.
This unique fusion of archaeological, historical, and scientific research sheds new light on how diseases traveled in medieval times, offering valuable lessons for understanding the global nature of infectious disease transmission today.
The article, “Paleoparasitological analysis of a 15th–16th c. CE latrine from the merchant quarter of Bruges, Belgium: Evidence for local and exotic parasite infections,’ by Marissa L. Ledger, Maxime Poulain and Koen Deforce, appears in Parasitology. Click here to read it.
Top Image: View of Bruges created by Antoon van den Wijngaerde around 1557-58. Wikimedia Commons
A McMaster University researcher has uncovered evidence of intestinal parasites in a 500-year-old latrine from Bruges, Belgium. While the findings might make some queasy, they offer vital scientific insight into the historical spread of infectious diseases through travel and trade.
The study, published in the journal Parasitology, presents some of the earliest evidence of schistosomiasis found outside its endemic region of Africa.
“Many of the parasites we see today have been around for centuries. One of our goals in infectious disease studies is to understand where in the world people had these parasites in the past and how their epidemiology has changed through time,” explains Marissa Ledger, a post-doctoral fellow at McMaster’s Ancient DNA Centre and the lead researcher on the project.
Schistosomiasis, caused by the water-borne flatworm Schistosoma mansoni, can penetrate the skin, travel through the bloodstream, and establish itself in the intestines. The parasite reproduces and releases eggs, which are excreted in human waste. Ledger identified a preserved parasite egg in the contents of a 15th-century latrine, located thousands of kilometres away from the parasite’s native African range.
Historical and Archaeological Context
The latrine was unearthed during an excavation in 1996 but was only recently analyzed as part of a broader research project led by Ghent University. The project explores the lives of foreign communities living and trading in medieval Bruges and its former harbor towns.
The latrine was associated with the Spanish nation house, the administrative center and meeting place for the Castilian merchant community in Bruges. Researchers suggest the parasite could be linked to one of these traders, who facilitated the import of African commodities like gold, ivory, and spices. Historical records also reveal that these merchants were involved in the early Atlantic slave trade, further underscoring Bruges’ role in global connectivity.
“This combination of rich historical records with archaeological and parasitological data is quite unique,” says Ledger. “It helps us better understand human migration and disease transmission in the past and highlights the significance of this Belgian-Canadian collaboration.”
Interconnected World, Centuries Ago
The findings highlight the complexity of medieval urban life and the far-reaching impact of international trade networks. Bruges, a thriving hub for goods, people, and ideas in the medieval period, also inadvertently became a conduit for disease transmission.
“Our findings speak to the complexity of medieval urban life and how interconnected this world was centuries ago. It not only provides novel insight into daily life of people in medieval Bruges but also shows how the city, known as an international hub for people, goods, and ideas, inevitably also facilitated the spread of diseases through its strong maritime trade networks,” says Maxime Poulain, an archaeologist at Ghent University.
Beyond Bruges: The Value of Organic Remains
The discovery underscores the importance of examining organic remains in archaeological sites. Such analysis can reveal critical information about the health, hygiene, and mobility of past populations.
Ledger is now investigating the genetics of the parasite to compare it with modern strains, offering a glimpse into the evolution of infectious diseases.
“Understanding these parasites over a broader time frame provides more information on how they are impacted by factors like migration. Even in the past, as people were migrating over these long distances, they were still very effectively moving infectious diseases across long distances. That’s incredibly useful to know,” Ledger adds.
This unique fusion of archaeological, historical, and scientific research sheds new light on how diseases traveled in medieval times, offering valuable lessons for understanding the global nature of infectious disease transmission today.
The article, “Paleoparasitological analysis of a 15th–16th c. CE latrine from the merchant quarter of Bruges, Belgium: Evidence for local and exotic parasite infections,’ by Marissa L. Ledger, Maxime Poulain and Koen Deforce, appears in Parasitology. Click here to read it.
Top Image: View of Bruges created by Antoon van den Wijngaerde around 1557-58. Wikimedia Commons
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