Secret of parasites in 500-year-old mummy

A 500-year-old mummy was found for the first time in Korea in 1993 and a research team at the medical school of Dankook University has discovered a parasite called gymnophalloides seoi in the corpse.

The team led by Prof. Seo Min has published the findings in the latest edition of the Journal of Parasitology.

The parasite was first reported by a patient complaining of stomach pains in 1988 and it was named after Prof. Seo Byung-sul of the medical school of Seoul National University.

The mummy, discovered ub South Chungchong Province, was the second case in which parasites were found, the first being a woman from the 17th century which was found in South Gyeongsang Province in August 2006.

The discovery of the parasite from 500 years ago is expected to have a strong impact on research into the spreading of such parasites in modern medicine, Prof. Seo said.