Echinococcal hydatid cysts in a Pleistocene Camel

Echinococcal infection in camels has been considered a disease of domestication. Observation of bone lesions in a fossil camel further challenges the concept of such derivation. A metapodial of fossil camel, Camelops was examined macroscopically and radiologically. For comparative purposes, the gross anatomy of recent bovine bone with similar lesions was studied. Several slightly elliptical cystic metaphyseal cortical lesions, 7 × 9 mm in size, and smooth borders were recognised in the examined fossil. The studied lesions are interpreted as hydatid cyst pockets. Differential diagnosis suggests a hydatism as the most probable aetiology, documenting the oldest case of echinococcosis.