[1] Although there are a number of ways in which humans can contract parasitic infections, observing basic hygiene and cleanliness tips can reduce its probability.
[2] The most accurate diagnosis is by qPcr DNA antigen assay[citation needed], not generally available by primary care physicians in the USA: most labs offer research only service.
Generally, the discovery of parasites in ancient humans relies on the study of feces and other fossilized material.
The earliest known parasite in a human was eggs of the lung fluke found in fossilized feces in northern Chile and is estimated to be from around 5900 BC.
In this book, they documented the presence of worms and other parasites inside of fish, domesticated animals, and humans.
These tapeworms were mentioned in a play by Aristophanes as "hailstones" with Aristotle in the section about pig diseases in his book History of Animals.
The cysts of the Echinococcus granulosus tapeworm were also well known in ancient cultures mainly because of their presence in slaughtered and sacrificed animals.
This condition was called "measly pork" when present in pigs and was characterized by the presence of the larval stages of the Bladder Worm in muscle tissue.
[4] This disease was mentioned by Hippocrates in Greece along with Pliny the Elder, Galen, Aetius of Amida, and Paulus Aegineta of Alexandria in Rome.
Several Assyrian documents in the library of King Ashurbanipal refer to an affliction that has been interpreted as Guinea worm disease.
[3]: 174 The Emperor Huang Ti recorded the earliest mentioning (2700 BC) of malaria in his text Nei Ching.