Discovery of Eurytrema Eggs in Sediment from a Colonial Period Latrine in Taiwan

The journal of physiological sciences

article

Hui-Yuan Yeh¹  Chieh-fu Jeff Cheng²  ChingJung Huang³  Xiaoya Zhan¹  Weng Kin Wong¹  Piers D. Mitchell⁴ 

[1] School of Humanities, Nanyang Technological University;Department of Archaeology, Boston University;Institute of Archaeology, National Cheng Kung University, University Road;Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge

关键词: Eurytrema;    colonial period latrine;    Batongguan Trail;    Taiwan;   

DOI  :  10.3347/kjp.2019.57.6.595

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

In this study we take a closer look at the diseases that afflicted Japanese police officers who were stationed in a remote mountainous region of Taiwan from 1921 to 1944. Samples were taken from the latrine at the Huabanuo police outpost, and analyzed for the eggs of intestinal parasites, using microscopy and ELISA. The eggs of Eurytrema sp., (possibly E. pancreaticum), whipworm and roundworm were shown to be present. True infection with Eurytrema would indicate that the policemen ate uncooked grasshoppers and crickets infected with the parasite. However, false parasitism might also occur if the policemen ate the uncooked intestines of infected cattle, and the Eurytrema eggs passed through the human intestines. These findings provide an insight into the diet and health of the Japanese colonists in Taiwan nearly a century ago.

【 授权许可】

Unknown