Oldest traces of a dysentery-causing parasite were found in ancient toilets
Giardia was probably endemic to the Jerusalem region 2,600 years ago
![An ancient toilet that looks like a square stone block with a circular hole in the middle](jpg/052423_fk_recordgiardia_featb14e.jpg)
Using antibodies, researchers searched for the remains of the parasite giardia in decomposed feces under this and one other millennia-old toilet seat from sites in Jerusalem.
Ya’akov Billig