Bird Genomes Contain 'Fossils' Of Parasites That Now Infect Humans

"Certain human diseases, such as avian flu and HIV/AIDS, are known to have jumped onto our species from animal hosts. Epidemiologists have only recently realized the importance of these so-called 'zoonoses'. However, there are many more human diseases whose host-origins are unknown. These include lymphatic filariasis and loiasis, two serious human tropical diseases that are caused by nematode worms and spread by mosquitoes. The present study reveals that these modern human parasite species were parasites of birds from at least 25-17 million years ago. "