Paleogenomic analysis reveals helminth infections in pre-Columbian individuals consistent with fisher-gatherer subsistence at the Jabuticabeira II <i>sambaqui</i> , southern Brazil

The sambaqui (shellmounds) people are recognized as fisher-gatherers who inhabited the coastal regions of Brazil, with a subsistence on a diet composed of fish, mollusks, and plants. Paleoparasitological investigations inthese open-air sites are challenged by the severe taphonomic processes affecting parasite vestige preservation.Previous paleogenetic work reported parasite helminth infection by Ascaris sp. in an individual from Jabuticabeira II (JABII) sambaqui, located in the Santa Catarina state, Brazil (2,890 55 to 1,805 65 years BP).To expand our knowledge about helminth infections in sambaqui people, the present study applied a paleogenomic approach in JABII.Sediments from pelvic and sacral regions of 3 JABII individuals and environmental samples underwent ancient DNA extraction and cox1 gene PCRs.High-throughput sequencing data were compared to a custom-built reference database.The JABII dataset revealed reads that are mapped against plathelminth and nematode parasites.Plathelminth observations are probably attributable to pseudoparasitism and are associated with the animal hosts identified within the JABII faunal assemblages.Two JABII individuals exhibited Anisakis simplex, Contracaecum osculatum, and Ascaris sp.Anisakids are common parasites of marine fish, crustaceans, and mammals that infect humans by consuming fish.Most of the fish identified at the JABII site are currently documented as being infected by Anisakidae.Ascaris sp. is verified in different JABII individuals from the previous study, confirming the spread of this soil-transmitted helminthiasis.The novel data herein agree with the subsistence of the JABII fisher-gatherers, the sedentary lifestyle, and the faunal surroundings in the Southern coastal region of Brazil.