Ancient Egyptians suffered from a variety of parasitic infections that led to anemia and other debilitating conditions. A recent meta-analysis of studies on Egyptian mummies found that approximately 66% were infected with various types of worms, approximately 22% were infected with malaria, and approximately 40% were affected by head lice.

A study in the Valley of the Kings found that four of 16 mummies tested tested positive for Plasmodium falciparum, the causative agent of one of the deadliest forms of malaria. Among those infected was Tutankhamun, who had two strains of this disease in his body; However, he probably died as a result of a car accident, not malaria.

According to Piers D. Mitchell of the University of Cambridge, 49 of the 221 mummies analyzed tested positive for malaria. He noted that the disease may have severely affected infant mortality rates and caused debilitating anemia in ancient communities along the Nile.

The study showed that 92 percent of mummies who contracted malaria had porous bones and other symptoms of anemia. Mitchell emphasized that such a high burden of disease could seriously affect the physical endurance and productivity of a large portion of the population. Other parasites found in mummies included toxoplasmosis, a pathogen linked to schizophrenia, and an increased risk of car accidents. It is known that toxoplasmosis is transmitted through contact with cats, which were considered sacred animals in ancient Egypt.

Mitchell also found that about 10 percent of the mummies were infected with visceral leishmaniasis, which can also cause anemia and is fatal in 95 percent of untreated cases. Stomach worms, such as fish tapeworms, have been found in some mummies, possibly from consumption of undercooked fish from the Nile River.

Trichinellosis was also found in the mummy of a man named Nacht, who worked as a weaver in the royal funerary chapel at Thebes. Transmitted through undercooked pork, this parasitic infection can penetrate muscle tissue and in severe cases lead to death due to heart damage.

Nacht, like 65% of the other mummies studied, suffered from schistosomiasis, an acute parasitic disease caused by bloodsuckers that affects the blood vessels and urinary tract. Worms were even found in the brain of a mummy in Manchester Museum, and 40% of 218 mummies tested for head lice tested positive.

Mitchell suggests that the Nile may have served as a route for waterborne tropical parasites, allowing malaria and other pathogens to thrive in ancient Egyptian conditions despite limited rainfall. But the Nile also contributed to the enrichment of agricultural land during annual floods, reducing the need to use human waste as fertilizer and reducing the risk of helminth infections common in other parts of the Middle East and the Mediterranean. Source