A 13th-century cystic echinococcosis from the cemetery of the monastery of Badia Pozzeveri (Lucca, Italy)

Abstract

Objective: To differentially diagnose a calcified formation recovered from a 13th century AD grave from the Tuscan monastery of Badia Pozzeveri, Lucca, Italy.

Materials: A calcified formation from the thoraco-abdominal region of a skeleton buried in the monastery cemetery.

Methods: Cone Beam Computed Tomography, Scanning Electron Microscope and Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy.

Results: A hollow, calcified ovoid formation was identified as typical of a hydatid cyst, permitting the diagnosis of cystic echinococcosis in a 35-45year-old female.

Conclusions: The study reveals the circulation of the parasite Echinococcus granulosus in the region of Lucca in late medieval Tuscany.

Significance: This finding is the fourth case of cystic echinococcosis from an archaeological context in Italy and provides insight into environmental conditions that appear to have affected members of a community, irrespective of social status.

Limitations: Caution and the application of multiple analyses must be exercised in the differential diagnosis to discriminate among calcified formations.

Suggestions for further research: Analysis of stable isotopes of the calcified formation, such as ¹⁵N and ¹³C, in order to compare them with isotopic values of the host individual and to further confirm the parasitic origin of the find.

Keywords: Calcification; Funerary Archaeology; Hydatid Cyst; Medieval monastery; Paleoparasitology; Zoonosis.