Worms in the brain and malaria: thanks to mummies, scientists have learned what diseases the inhabitants of Ancient Egypt suffered from

A new study of mummies has revealed that the inhabitants of Ancient Egypt were infected with horrific parasites that caused anemia, schizophrenia, and other debilitating conditions.

Two-thirds of the mummies studied by scientists had worms, 22% had malaria, and 40% had schistosomiasis. Even Tutankhamun was infected with two different strains of malaria, although it is likely that he died from a fall from his chariot, IFLScience writes.

Also read: The oldest traces of human existence in Europe found in Zakarpattia (photo)

Other parasites found in the mummies include toxoplasma, which can lead to schizophrenia, and visceral leishmaniasis, which is fatal in 95% of cases if left untreated.

Scientists believe that the Nile River was the source of many of these parasites because it was an ideal breeding ground for mosquito vectors and other harmful pathogens.

Despite the horrific parasites, ancient Egyptian mummies show very low numbers of roundworms, which were common in the Middle East and Mediterranean. This may be due to the fact that they did not have to fertilize their crops with human feces.

As a reminder, an extraordinary rare ring from the 17th century was found in England.

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