We review the beggining of paleoparasitology and its development in Brazil. The search of parasites in ancient human remains can throw light on such questions as origin and antiquity of parasite-host relationship, general distribution of parasites through time and prehistoric human migrations. The study of parasite DNA sequences found in mummified tissues and coprolites can be an important source of information for phylogenetic and host-parasite coevolution. The nucleic acid based techniques (molecular paleoparasitology) open a new perspective to evolution at a molecular level.
Paleoparasitology; Coprolites; Ancient feces; Mummies; Ancient diseases