Immunological evidence of Plasmodium falciparum infection in an Egyptian child mummy from the Early Dynastic Period

A 15–18 months old child mummy, presently housed in Turin's Museum of Anthropology, was discovered in Gebelein (Upper Egypt) during excavations carried out by the Missione Archeologica Italiana, most likely in 1914. Atomic Mass Spectrometry radiocarbon dating indicated that the mummy belongs to the end of the Early Dynastic Period – beginning of the Old Kingdom. Whole body spiral CT scan and 3D reconstructions did not show evidence of congenital...