Roman soldiers defending Hadrian’s Wall infected by parasites, study finds

(Press-News.org) A new analysis of sewer drains from the Roman fort of Vindolanda, close to Hadrian’s Wall, has shown that the occupants were infected by three types of intestinal parasite – roundworm, whipworm, and Giardia duodenalis.

These parasites are all spread by ineffective sanitation, with contamination of food, drink or hands by human faeces. Roundworms are 20-30cm long and whipworms about 5cm long. Giardia are microscopic protozoan parasites that cause outbreaks of diarrhoea. This is the first evidence for Giardia duodenalis in Roman Britain.

Vindolanda was located near to Hadrian’s wall in northern England. Hadrian’s Wall was built by the Romans in the early 2nd century AD to defend their province of ‘Britannia’ from attack by tribes from the north and remained in use until the end of the 4th century. The site of Vindolanda is located between Carlisle and Corbridge in Northumberland, Britain.

Hadrian’s Wall runs east-west from the North Sea to the Irish Sea and was constructed with forts and towers spaced regularly along it. It was defended by a range of infantry, archery and cavalry units from across the Roman Empire.

Vindolanda is famous for the organic objects preserved in the waterlogged soil at the site, such as more than 1,000 thin wooden tablets written with ink that document daily life at the fort and a collection of over 5,000 Roman leather shoes.

The analysis of sediment from the sewer drain leading from the latrine block at the 3rd century CE bath complex was performed jointly by researchers from the universities of Cambridge and Oxford, and is published in the journal Parasitology.

Fifty sediment samples were taken along the length of the latrine drain, which measured around nine metres and carried waste from the communal latrine down to a stream north of the site. Artifacts recovered from the drain included Roman beads, pottery and animal bones.

These samples were split between labs at Cambridge and Oxford, where researchers conducted microscope analyses to hunt for the ancient remains of helminth eggs: parasitic worm species that infect humans and other animals.

Some 28% of the samples contained either roundworm or whipworm eggs. One sample contained remnants of both species, so researchers analysed it using a bio-molecular technique called 'ELISA', in which antibodies bind onto proteins produced by single-celled organisms, and found traces of Giardia duodenalis.

The team also took a sample connected to an earlier 1st-century CE fort, constructed around 85 CE and abandoned by 91/92 CE. The sample came from a ditch that was part of the fort’s defensive system, and contained both roundworm and whipworm. 

“The three types of parasites we found could have led to malnutrition and cause diarrhoea in some of the Roman soldiers,” said Dr Marissa Ledger, who led the Cambridge component of the study as part of her PhD at the University of Cambridge’s Department of Archaeology.

“While the Romans were aware of intestinal worms, there was little their doctors could do to clear infection by these parasites or help those experiencing diarrhoea, meaning symptoms could persist and worsen. These chronic infections likely weakened soldiers, reducing fitness for duty. Helminths alone can cause nausea, cramping and diarrhoea.”

Study senior author Dr Piers Mitchell, Affiliated Scholar at Cambridge’s McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, said: “Some soldiers could have become severely ill from dehydration during summer outbreaks of Giardia, which are often linked to contaminated water and can infection dozens of people at a time. Untreated giardiasis can drag on for weeks, causing dramatic fatigue and weight loss.”

“The presence of the faecal-oral parasites we found suggests conditions were ripe for other intestinal pathogens such as Salmonella and Shigella, which could have triggered additional disease outbreaks,” Mitchell said.

The predominance of faecal-oral parasites at Vindolanda is similar to Roman military sites elsewhere, say researchers, such as Carnuntum in Austria, Valkenburg on Rhine in the Netherlands, and Bearsden in Scotland. Urban sites, such as London and York, had a more diverse parasite range, including fish and meat tapeworms.

“Despite the fact that Vindolanda had communal latrines and a sewer system, this still did not protect the soldiers from infecting each other with these parasites,” said Dr Patrik Flammer, who analysed samples at the University of Oxford.

“The study of ancient parasites helps us to know the pathogens that infected our ancestors, how they varied with lifestyle, and how they changed over time,” said Prof Adrian Smith, who led the lab at Oxford where part of the analysis was performed.

Dr Andrew Birley, CEO of the Vindolanda Charitable Trust, who leads the excavations at Vindolanda, added: “Excavations at Vindolanda continue to find new evidence that helps us to understand the incredible hardships faced by those posted to this northwestern frontier of the Roman Empire nearly 2,000 years ago, challenging our preconceptions about what life was really like in a Roman frontier fort and town.”

W. H. Auden’s famous poem about a miserable Roman soldier guarding a rain-soaked wall in northern Europe mentions “lice in my tunic and a cold in my nose”. It seems the poet could have added serious stomach trouble to that list of woes.

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