Overview
- Published in Parasitology, the Cambridge–Oxford study analyzed 50 samples from a roughly 9‑meter drain serving a third‑century communal latrine at Vindolanda.
- Microscopy detected roundworm and whipworm eggs in about 28% of samples, indicating widespread helminth circulation in the garrison’s waste stream.
- An ELISA assay on one sewer sample identified proteins from Giardia duodenalis, the first documented occurrence of this parasite in Roman Britain.
- A defensive ditch linked to an earlier first‑century fort phase also yielded roundworm and whipworm eggs, pointing to long‑running intestinal infections at the site.
- Researchers say these fecal–oral infections likely caused diarrhea, malnutrition and fatigue that reduced soldiers’ fitness for duty despite the fort’s baths and latrines.