Ancient Parasite Puzzle: American Pathogen in the Roman Empire
Archaeologists have discovered traces of the parasite Cryptosporidium parvum in Roman-era latrines at the Bulgarian military fortress of Novae. The finding contradicts previous assumptions about the geographic distribution of this pathogen, which is supposed to have originated in America. The study, conducted under the direction of Elena Klenina, was published in the journal npj Heritage Science and raises new questions about disease spread in antiquity.