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Homsy King M, Nahabwe H, Ssebide B, Kwong LH, Gilardi K. Preventing zoonotic and zooanthroponotic disease transmission at wild great ape sites: Recommendations from qualitative research at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0299220. [PMID: 38427618 PMCID: PMC10906881 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0299220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Employees at wild great ape sites are at high risk of transmitting infectious diseases to endangered great apes. Because of the significant amount of time employees spend near great apes, they are a priority population for the prevention and treatment of zoonotic and zooanthroponotic spillover and need adequate preventive and curative healthcare. Qualitative, semi-structured interviews with 46 staff (rangers and porters) at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda (BINP) and key informants from five other wild great ape sites around the world were performed. The objectives of the study were to 1) evaluate health-seeking behavior and health resources used by staff in contact with great apes at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park; 2) evaluate existing occupational health programs for employees working with great apes in other parts of the world; and 3) make recommendations for improvement of occupational health at BINP. Results show that BINP employees do not frequently access preventive healthcare measures, nor do they have easy access to diagnostic testing for infectious diseases of spillover concern. Recommendations include assigning a dedicated healthcare provider for great ape site staff, providing free annual physical exams, and stocking rapid malaria tests and deworming medication in first aid kits at each site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maya Homsy King
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Haven Nahabwe
- Church of Uganda Bwindi Community Hospital, Kinkizi Diocese, Kanungu, Uganda
| | - Benard Ssebide
- Gorilla Doctors, Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project Incorporated., Kampala, Uganda
| | - Laura H. Kwong
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Kirsten Gilardi
- School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, United States of America
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Červená B, Prokopová T, Cameira RM, Pafčo B, Samaš P, Romportl D, Uwamahoro C, Noheri JB, Ntwari AE, Bahizi M, Nzayisenga G, Nziza J, Gilardi K, Eckardt W, Ndagijimana F, Mudakikwa A, Muvunyi R, Uwingeli P, Cranfield M, Šlapeta J, Petrželková KJ, Modrý D. Anoplocephalid tapeworms in mountain gorillas ( Gorilla beringei beringei) inhabiting the Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda. Parasitology 2024; 151:135-150. [PMID: 38017606 PMCID: PMC10941052 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182023001178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Revised: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023]
Abstract
Cestodes of the family Anoplocephalidae parasitize a wide range of usually herbivorous hosts including e.g. rodents, ungulates, primates, elephants and hyraxes. While in some hosts, the epidemiology of the infection is well studied, information is lacking in others. In this study of mountain gorillas in the Virunga Massif, an extensive sample set comprising adult cestodes collected via necropsies, proglottids shed in feces, and finally, fecal samples from both night nests and identified individuals were analysed. Anoplocephala gorillae was the dominant cestode species detected in night nest samples and individually known gorillas, of which only 1 individual hosted a Bertiella sp. It was shown that the 2 species can be distinguished through microscopy based on egg morphology and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays for diagnostics of both species were provided. Sequences of mitochondrial (cox 1) and nuclear (ITS1, 18S rDNA, 28S rDNA) markers were used to evaluate the phylogenetic position of the 2 cestodes detected in mountain gorillas. Both types of fecal samples, from night nests and from identified individuals, provided comparable information about the prevalence of anoplocephalid cestodes, although the analysis of samples collected from identified gorilla individuals showed significant intra-individual fluctuation of A. gorillae egg shedding within a short period. Therefore, multiple samples should be examined to obtain reliable data for wildlife health management programmes, especially when application of anthelmintic treatment is considered. However, while A. gorillae is apparently a common symbiont of mountain gorillas, it does not seem to impair the health of its host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbora Červená
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Pathology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, University of Veterinary Sciences Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Tereza Prokopová
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Pathology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, University of Veterinary Sciences Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Rita Maria Cameira
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Pathology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, University of Veterinary Sciences Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Barbora Pafčo
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Peter Samaš
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Dušan Romportl
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Physical Geography and Geoecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Jan Šlapeta
- Sydney School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Klára Judita Petrželková
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Liberec Zoo, Liberec, Czech Republic
| | - David Modrý
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources/CINeZ, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
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Ilík V, Kreisinger J, Modrý D, Schwarz EM, Tagg N, Mbohli D, Nkombou IC, Petrželková KJ, Pafčo B. High diversity and sharing of strongylid nematodes in humans and great apes co-habiting an unprotected area in Cameroon. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2023; 17:e0011499. [PMID: 37624869 PMCID: PMC10484444 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Revised: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Rapid increases in human populations and environmental changes of past decades have led to changes in rates of contact and spatial overlap with wildlife. Together with other historical, social and environmental processes, this has significantly contributed to pathogen transmission in both directions, especially between humans and non-human primates, whose close phylogenetic relationship facilitates cross-infections. Using high-throughput amplicon sequencing, we studied strongylid communities in sympatric western lowland gorillas, central chimpanzees and humans co-occurring in an unprotected area in the northern periphery of the Dja Faunal Reserve, Cameroon. At the genus level, we classified 65 strongylid ITS-2 amplicon sequencing variants (ASVs) in humans and great apes. Great apes exhibited higher strongylid diversity than humans. Necator and Oesophagostomum were the most prevalent genera, and we commonly observed mixed infections of more than one strongylid species. Human strongylid communities were dominated by the human hookworm N. americanus, while great apes were mainly infected with N. gorillae, O. stephanostomum and trichostrongylids. We were also able to detect rare strongylid taxa (such as Ancylostoma and Ternidens). We detected eight ASVs shared between humans and great apes (four N. americanus variants, two N. gorillae variants, one O. stephanostomum type I and one Trichostrongylus sp. type II variant). Our results show that knowledge of strongylid communities in primates, including humans, is still limited. Sharing the same habitat, especially outside protected areas (where access to the forest is not restricted), can enable mutual parasite exchange and can even override host phylogeny or conserved patterns. Such studies are critical for assessing the threats posed to all hosts by increasing human-wildlife spatial overlap. In this study, the term "contact" refers to physical contact, while "spatial overlap" refers to environmental contact.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladislav Ilík
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jakub Kreisinger
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Praha, Czech Republic
| | - David Modrý
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources/CINeZ, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Erich Marquard Schwarz
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
| | - Nikki Tagg
- Centre for Research and Conservation/KMDA, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Donald Mbohli
- Association de la Protection des Grands Singes, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | | | - Klára Judita Petrželková
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Barbora Pafčo
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
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Fonti N, Parisi F, Mancianti F, Freer G, Poli A. Cancerogenic parasites in veterinary medicine: a narrative literature review. Infect Agent Cancer 2023; 18:45. [PMID: 37496079 PMCID: PMC10373346 DOI: 10.1186/s13027-023-00522-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Parasite infection is one of the many environmental factors that can significantly contribute to carcinogenesis and is already known to be associated with a variety of malignancies in both human and veterinary medicine. However, the actual number of cancerogenic parasites and their relationship to tumor development is far from being fully understood, especially in veterinary medicine. Thus, the aim of this review is to investigate parasite-related cancers in domestic and wild animals and their burden in veterinary oncology. Spontaneous neoplasia with ascertained or putative parasite etiology in domestic and wild animals will be reviewed, and the multifarious mechanisms of protozoan and metazoan cancer induction will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niccolò Fonti
- Dipartimento di Scienze veterinarie, Università di Pisa, Viale delle Piagge, 2, 56124, Pisa, Italy.
| | - Francesca Parisi
- Dipartimento di Scienze veterinarie, Università di Pisa, Viale delle Piagge, 2, 56124, Pisa, Italy
| | - Francesca Mancianti
- Dipartimento di Scienze veterinarie, Università di Pisa, Viale delle Piagge, 2, 56124, Pisa, Italy
| | - Giulia Freer
- Dipartimento di Ricerca Traslazionale e delle Nuove Tecnologie in Medicina e Chirurgia, Università di Pisa, Via Savi, 10, 56126, Pisa, Italy
| | - Alessandro Poli
- Dipartimento di Scienze veterinarie, Università di Pisa, Viale delle Piagge, 2, 56124, Pisa, Italy
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Philippon J, Serrano-Martínez E, Poirotte C. Fecal avoidance and gastrointestinal parasitism in semi-free ranging woolly monkeys (Lagothrix lagotricha poeppigii). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-023-03317-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/05/2023]
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Petrželková K, Samaš P, Romportl D, Uwamahoro C, Červená B, Pafčo B, Prokopová T, Cameira R, Granjon A, Shapiro A, Bahizi M, Nziza J, Noheri J, Syaluha E, Eckardt W, Ndagijimana F, Šlapeta J, Modrý D, Gilardi K, Muvunyi R, Uwingeli P, Mudakikwa A, Mapilanga J, Kalonji A, Hickey J, Cranfield M. Ecological drivers of helminth infection patterns in the Virunga Massif mountain gorilla population. Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl 2022; 17:174-184. [PMID: 35145846 PMCID: PMC8802862 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2022.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Revised: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
The Virunga Massif mountain gorilla population has been periodically monitored since the early 1970s, with gradually increasing effort. The population declined drastically in the 1970s, but the numbers stabilized in the 1980s. Since then, the population has been steadily increasing within their limited habitat fragment that is surrounded by a dense human population. We examined fecal samples collected during the Virunga 2015-2016 surveys in monitored and unmonitored gorilla groups and quantified strongylid and tapeworm infections using egg counts per gram to determine environmental and host factors that shape these helminth infections. We showed that higher strongylid infections were present in gorilla groups with smaller size of the 500-m buffered minimum-convex polygon (MCP) of detected nest sites per gorilla group, but in higher gorilla densities and inhabiting vegetation types occurring at higher elevations with higher precipitation and lower temperatures. On the contrary, the impact of monitoring (habituation) was minor, detected in tapeworms and only when in the interaction with environmental variables and MCP area. Our results suggest that the Virunga mountain gorilla population may be partially regulated by strongylid nematodes at higher gorilla densities. New health challenges are probably emerging among mountain gorillas because of the success of conservation efforts, as manifested by significant increases in gorilla numbers in recent decades, but few possibilities for the population expansion due to limited amounts of habitat.
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Affiliation(s)
- K.J. Petrželková
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
- Biology Centre, Institute of Parasitology, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Liberec Zoo, Liberec, Czech Republic
| | - P. Samaš
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - D. Romportl
- Department of Physical Geography and Geoecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | | | - B. Červená
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Pathology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Veterinary Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - B. Pafčo
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - T. Prokopová
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Pathology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Veterinary Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - R. Cameira
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Pathology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Veterinary Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - A.C. Granjon
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - A. Shapiro
- Here + There Mapping Solutions, Berlin, Germany
| | - M. Bahizi
- Gorilla Doctors (MGVP, Inc.), Davis, CA, USA
| | - J. Nziza
- Gorilla Doctors (MGVP, Inc.), Davis, CA, USA
| | - J.B. Noheri
- Gorilla Doctors (MGVP, Inc.), Davis, CA, USA
| | | | - W. Eckardt
- Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, Musanze, Rwanda
| | | | - J. Šlapeta
- Sydney School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
| | - D. Modrý
- Biology Centre, Institute of Parasitology, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Department of Pathology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Veterinary Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Veterinary Sciences/CINeZ, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - K. Gilardi
- Gorilla Doctors (MGVP, Inc.), Davis, CA, USA
- School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - R. Muvunyi
- Rwanda Development Board, Kigali, Rwanda
| | | | | | - J. Mapilanga
- Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature, Kinshasa, Congo
| | - A. Kalonji
- Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature, Parc National de Kahuzi Biega, Bukavu, Congo
| | - J.R. Hickey
- International Gorilla Conservation Programme, Kigali, Rwanda
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Mason B, Piel AK, Modrý D, Petrželková KJ, Stewart FA, Pafčo B. Association of human disturbance and gastrointestinal parasite infection of yellow baboons in western Tanzania. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0262481. [PMID: 35020760 PMCID: PMC8754341 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0262481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 12/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Human disturbance is an ongoing threat to many wildlife species, manifesting as habitat destruction, resource overuse, or increased disease exposure, among others. With increasing human: non-human primate (NHP) encounters, NHPs are increasingly susceptible to human-introduced diseases, including those with parasitic origins. As such, epidemiology of parasitic disease is becoming an important consideration for NHP conservation strategies. To investigate the relationship between parasite infections and human disturbance we studied yellow baboons (Papio cynocephalus) living outside of national park boundaries in western Tanzania, collecting 135 fresh faecal samples from nine troops occupying areas with varying levels of human disturbance. We fixed all samples in 10% formalin and later evaluated parasite prevalence and abundance (of isotrichid ciliates and Strongylida). We identified seven protozoan and four helminth taxa. Taxa showed varied relationships with human disturbance, baboon troop size and host age. In four taxa, we found a positive association between prevalence and troop size. We also report a trend towards higher parasite prevalence of two taxa in less disturbed areas. To the contrary, high levels of human disturbance predicted increased abundance of isotrichid ciliates, although no relationship was found between disturbance and Strongylida abundance. Our results provide mixed evidence that human disturbance is associated with NHP parasite infections, highlighting the need to consider monitoring parasite infections when developing NHP conservation strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bethan Mason
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Alex K. Piel
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Greater Mahale Ecosystem Research and Conservation (GMERC) Project, Busongola, Tanzania
| | - David Modrý
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources/CINeZ, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Klára J. Petrželková
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Fiona A. Stewart
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Greater Mahale Ecosystem Research and Conservation (GMERC) Project, Busongola, Tanzania
- School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Barbora Pafčo
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
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