Ancient parasite highlights humans' role in spread of disease

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Ancient parasite highlights humans' role in spread of disease

By Kate Kelland LONDON (Reuters) - The discovery of a schistosomiasis parasite egg in a 6,200-year-old grave in Syria may be the earliest evidence that agricultural irrigation systems in the Middle East contributed to a vast spread of disease, scientists said on Friday. Schistosomiasis - also known as bilharzia, snail fever, or Katayama fever - is caused by flatworm parasites that live in the blood vessels of the bladder and intestines. The infection can lead to anaemia, kidney failure and bladder cancer. In a study in the Lancet Infectious Diseases journal, researchers said it may have been spread by the introduction of crop irrigation in ancient Mesopotamia, the region along the Tigris-Euphrates river system that covers parts of what is Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Syria and Turkey.

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