King Richard III may have likely suffered from roundworm infection, scientists stated in a new study after discovering that foot-long parasitic worms infected the hunchback monarch's gut, CBS News reported Wednesday.
According to the study, the William Shakespeare villainized tyrant King Richard III's remains showed signs of roundworm infection.
In 2012, the remains of the monarch were excavated from a parking lot in the English town of Leicester, and Archaeologists have undertaken careful analysis since then. Recently they found several roundworm eggs in the soil where his intestines would have been.
Researchers compared the soil sample near his pelvis to those near King Richard III's skull and the soil surrounding his grave, and discovered that there were no eggs near the king's skull area and only traces of roundworm eggs near the grave.
The study, which was published in the journal Lancet on Wednesday, stated that the presence of roundworm eggs near the king's pelvis suggests that he suffered from genuine infection, adding that the worms may not have inflicted any serious damage to the king.
Chicago Tribune reported earlier that roundworms can infect humans through the oral route once they have ingested fecal-contaminated water or food. The eggs hatch into larvae that can penetrate the lungs and stay their during their maturation phase. Once mature, the larvae crawl up the airways to be swallowed back into the human intestine where they develop as foot-long adults. In other cases, the larvae can migrate to other vital organs such as the kidneys, heart, and brain.
Professor of Epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Simon Brooker (not involved in the study) said that roundworm infection was very common in the 15th century due to poor hygiene and sanitation practices. Brooker added that about 820 million people worldwide suffer from the infection today.
Professor of Biological Anthropology at Cambridge University Piers Mitchell (one of the researchers) said this is the first documented case about an English monarch who suffered from roundworm infection.
King Richard III died in 1485 and is considered as one of the most reviled kings. Shakespeare depicted him as the hunchback monarch who had his two nephews murdered in order for him to claim the English throne.
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