Michael PriceFingernail-size roundworms are a scourge in less economically developed countries, where they cause diarrhea, stunt children’s growth, and even kill.
A new study suggests these parasites were just as common in medieval Europe as they are today, suggesting Europe’s later improvements to hygiene and sanitation proved enough to conquer them.The new study is “extensive and well done,” says Roger Prichard, a parasitologist at McGill University who was not involved with the work.
It confirms, he says, that Europe’s successful eradication efforts weren’t simply the result of naturally low parasite numbers.
Two of the most insidious roundworms—whipworms and hookworms—infect the intestines and expel their eggs in feces, where they go.