ELISA was used to test the presence of the human pathogenic amoeba Entamoeba histolytica in archaeological samples from 2 cemeteries in Guadeloupe, in the Caribbean. Results show that 15.9% of the population was infected during the colonial period, a value comparable to the current rates observed in humans in adjacent countries. This study also confirms the presence of the current strain of E. histolytica in pre-Columbian South America before the European colonization in the 15th century and raises the possibility of an earlier transfer from Europe to the Americas.
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1 October 2014
New Evidence of Entamoeba histolytica Infections in Pre-Columbian and Colonial Cemeteries in the Caribbean
M. Le Bailly,
Th. Romon,
S. Kacki
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Journal of Parasitology
Vol. 100 • No. 5
October 2014
Vol. 100 • No. 5
October 2014