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Tracking the existence of Dioctophyma renale in Parthian Empire of Iran (247 BC–224 AD)

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Abstract

Paleoparasitological investigation in the archeological site of the Caspian Sea littoral revealed the presence of human Dioctophyma renale infection, a ubiquitous kidney-residing helminth of mammals, during the Parthian Empire of Iran (247 BC–224 AD). This study reports the oldest human infection with giant kidney worm in the Middle East, mainly in an area where the infection is reported nowadays. The paucity of records throughout the literature suggests that the same species of parasite occurred with low frequency in the past, as well. The cemetery in the archeological site of Kiasar represented a unique opportunity of studying human and animal parasites of the Parthian Empire in Iran.

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Data availability

All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article. The original datasets are available upon request to the corresponding author.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to express our gratitude to the School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, for the provided amenities. Also, we are grateful to all staff at the Vestmin archeological site for their kind collaboration.

Funding

This study was financially supported by the Center for Research of Endemic Parasites of Iran (CREPI), Tehran University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran (Grant No., 23083).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Negar Bizhani, Faezeh Najafi, Mohmmad Bagher Rokni, Niloofar Paknezhad, Sina Mohtasebi & Gholamreza Mowlavi

  2. Center of Research, Office of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of Mazandaran, Sari, Iran

    Abdol Motalleb Sharifi & Mohammad Fallah Kiapi

  3. Center for Research of Endemic Parasites of Iran (CREPI), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Gholamreza Mowlavi

  4. Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, Bari, Italy

    Domenico Otranto

  5. French Veterinary Academy, Paris Cité University, Paris, France

    Jean Dupouy-Camet

Authors
  1. Negar Bizhani
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  2. Faezeh Najafi
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  3. Mohmmad Bagher Rokni
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  4. Abdol Motalleb Sharifi
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  5. Mohammad Fallah Kiapi
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  6. Niloofar Paknezhad
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  7. Sina Mohtasebi
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  8. Gholamreza Mowlavi
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  9. Domenico Otranto
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  10. Jean Dupouy-Camet
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Contributions

NB and FN conducted the parasitological examination of the samples and drafting the manuscript. GM conceived, designed, and oversaw the study. AMS and MFK conducted the archeological sampling and examinations. NP participated in laboratory and material preparation. MBR, DO, and JDP provided guidance for drafting the manuscript and interpretation of the results. SM prepared the graphical illustrations and participated in drafting the manuscript and descriptive issues. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Gholamreza Mowlavi or Domenico Otranto.

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Bizhani, N., Najafi, F., Rokni, M.B. et al. Tracking the existence of Dioctophyma renale in Parthian Empire of Iran (247 BC–224 AD). Parasitol Res 122, 413–418 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-022-07735-w

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