Richard III Infected with Roundworms at Time of Death, Study Suggests

Richard III may have been a king when he died, but to the parasites known as roundworms, he was just another host.

The most recent study on the ongoing analysis of the king's remains showed he was infected with roundworms at the time of his death. The researchers ruled out general contaminant of the soil where he was buried based on the fact that very low levels were detected in the dirt surrounding the body and none were found in the control sample from the skull.

"These results show that Richard was infected with roundworms in his intestines," the authors write.

Roundworm infection occurs via consumption of contaminated food or water or contact with parasite-infested soil. According to the UK's National Health Service, roughly a quarter of the world's current population is infected with roundworm, though most people do not experience any noticeable symptoms. For those who do, symptons include a high temperature, dry cough and, as the infection progresses, nausea and vomiting.

Immortalized through the writings of William Shakespeare, King Richard III ruled from 1483 to 1485 and was the last English king to die in battle.

In 2012 the University of Leicester teamed up with the Richard III Society and Leicester City Council to search for the king's lost grave, which they discovered underneath a parking lot in Leicester.

The discovery revealed an unceremonious end for one of England's most famous kings: the body was found crammed into a too-small grave and evidence suggested his hands were tied at the time of burial. In short, the archaeologists explained, either the gravediggers were in a hurry or they held little respect for the deceased.

The fact that the king was infected with worms, however, is striking, according to Philip Mackowiak, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Maryland.

"The presence of roundworms in a king who should be living in the best possible conditions suggests that even under the best of circumstances, sanitation during that time was horrible," he told the Los Angeles Times.