Feline coprolites were examined for parasites with the aim of studying ancient infections that occurred in the
Patagonian region during the Holocene period. Eggs compatible to
Trichuris
sp.,
Calodium
sp.,
Eucoleus
sp.,
Nematodirus
sp.,
Oesophagostomum
sp. (Nematoda),
Monoecocestus
sp. (Cestoda) and
Eimeria macusaniensis
(Coccidia)
were recovered from faecal samples. The results obtained from the analysis provide evidence of consumption by
felids of the viscera of both rodents and camelids. This knowledge allows for improved explanations as to the distribution
of parasitism and its significance to the health of humans and animals inhabiting the area under study during
the Middle Holocene.
