The inhabitants of Ancient Egypt could get sick as a result of getting into the body of various parasites and infectious agents. Recently, scientists analyzed what Egyptian mummies were infected with and what diseases could befall even pharaohs.
RBC-Ukraine (Styler project) tells what ancient mummies "discovered" to scientists and what exactly the ancient Egyptians were sick with, informs UAINFO.org.
The following sources were used in the preparation of the material: IFLScience, Advances in Parasitology.
What ancient mummies "told" scientists
According to the results of a meta-analysis of studies devoted to Egyptian mummies, the inhabitants of ancient Egypt had a wide variety of diseases - from parasites to infections.
Some parasitic infections could even lead to anemia and other debilitating conditions.
If we talk about the mummies studied by scientists, then:
about 66% of them were infected with various types of worms
about 40% are infected with head lice
about 22% had malaria
Parasites and infections were dangerous for both ordinary people and pharaohs (illustrative photo: pixabay.com)
What were the diseases of the inhabitants of ancient Egypt
A study conducted in the Valley of the Kings showed the presence of Plasmodium falciparum - the causative agent of one of the deadliest forms of malaria - in 4 out of 16 mummies.
Among the infected was the world-famous ancient Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun of the 18th dynasty. Two strains of this disease were found in his body (although he died, most likely, not from it).
In general, out of 221 analyzed mummies, the researchers found a positive result for malaria in 49.
92% of mummies infected with malaria had porous bones and other symptoms of anemia.
According to Piers D. Mitchell of the University of Cambridge, this disease could:
seriously affect the level of child mortality
affect the physical endurance and productivity of a large part of the population
contribute to debilitating anemia in ancient communities along the Nile
Living conditions in Egypt are not the easiest (illustrative photo: pixabay.com)
Other parasites found in the mummies included toxoplasmosis, a pathogen linked to schizophrenia, which is transmitted through contact with cats (which were considered sacred animals in ancient Egypt).
About 10% of the mummies were infected with visceral leishmaniasis, which can also cause anemia and is fatal in 95% of untreated cases.
In some mummies, stomach worms were found (in particular, a fish tapeworm, which could enter the body as a result of consuming undercooked fish from the Nile River).
In the mummy stored in the Manchester Museum, scientists also discovered worms in the brain.
In the mummy of a man named Nacht (who worked as a weaver in the royal funerary chapel in Thebes), researchers discovered trichinellosis, a parasitic infection transmitted through undercooked pork. It can penetrate the muscle tissue, and in severe cases - lead to death due to damage to the heart.
In addition, Nacht (as well as 65% of other investigated mummies) suffered from schistosomiasis - an acute parasitic disease caused by worms of the genus Schistosoma (blood suckers), affecting blood vessels and urinary tracts.
Finally, 40% of the 218 analyzed mummies were found to have head lice.
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