Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA.
Am J Primatol. 2011 Feb;73(2):173-9. doi: 10.1002/ajp.20884. Epub 2010 Sep 17.
The exponential decline of great apes over the past 50 years has resulted in an urgent need for data to inform population viability assessment and conservation strategies. Health monitoring of remaining ape populations is an important component of this process. In support of this effort, we examined endoparasitic and commensal prevalence and richness as proxies of population health for western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) and sympatric guinea baboons (Papio hamadryas papio) at Fongoli, Senegal, a site dominated by woodland-savanna at the northwestern extent of chimpanzees' geographic range. The small population size and extreme environmental pressures experienced by Fongoli chimpanzees make them particularly sensitive to the potential impact of pathogens. One hundred thirty-two chimpanzee and seventeen baboon fecal samples were processed using sodium nitrate floatation and fecal sedimentation to isolate helminth eggs, larvae, and protozoal cysts. Six nematodes (Physaloptera sp., Ascaris sp., Stronglyloides fuelleborni, Trichuris sp., an unidentified hookworm, and an unidentified larvated nematode), one cestode (Bertiella sp.), and five protozoans (Iodamoeba buetschlii, Entamoeba coli, Troglodytella abrassarti, Troglocorys cava, and an unidentified ciliate) were detected in chimpanzee fecal samples. Four nematodes (Necator sp., S. fuelleborni, Trichuris sp., and an unidentified hookworm sp.), two trematodes (Shistosoma mansoni and an unidentified fluke), and six protozoans (Entamoeba histolytica/dispar, E. coli, Chilomastix mesnili, Balantidium coli, T. abrassarti, and T. cava) were detected in baboon fecal samples. The low prevalence of pathogenic parasite species and high prevalence of symbiotic protozoa in Fongoli chimpanzees are indicative of good overall population health. However, the high prevalence of pathogenic parasites in baboons, who may serve as transport hosts, highlight the need for ongoing pathogen surveillance of the Fongoli chimpanzee population and point to the need for further research into the epidemiology and cross-species transmission ecology of zoonotic pathogens at this site.
过去 50 年来，大型猿类数量呈指数级下降，这使得人们迫切需要数据来为种群生存力评估和保护策略提供信息。监测剩余的猿类种群的健康状况是这一过程的重要组成部分。为了支持这一努力，我们检查了塞内加尔丰戈利的西部黑猩猩（Pan troglodytes verus）和共生的几内亚狒狒（Papio hamadryas papio）的内寄生虫和共生寄生虫的流行率和丰富度，作为种群健康的代表，该地点位于黑猩猩地理范围的最西北端，以林地-稀树草原为主。丰戈利的黑猩猩数量较少，而且面临极端的环境压力，这使得它们对病原体的潜在影响特别敏感。我们对 132 只黑猩猩和 17 只狒狒的粪便样本进行了处理，使用硝酸钠漂浮和粪便沉淀来分离蠕虫卵、幼虫和原生动物包囊。在黑猩猩粪便样本中检测到六种线虫（Physaloptera sp.、Ascaris sp.、Strongyloides fuelleborni、Trichuris sp.、一种未鉴定的钩虫和一种未鉴定的幼虫线虫）、一种绦虫（Bertiella sp.）和五种原生动物（Iodamoeba buetschlii、Entamoeba coli、Troglodytella abrassarti、Troglocorys cava 和一种未鉴定的纤毛虫）。在狒狒粪便样本中检测到四种线虫（Necator sp.、S. fuelleborni、Trichuris sp. 和一种未鉴定的钩虫）、两种吸虫（曼氏血吸虫和一种未鉴定的吸虫）和六种原生动物（Entamoeba histolytica/dispar、E. coli、Chilomastix mesnili、Balantidium coli、T. abrassarti 和 T. cava）。丰戈利黑猩猩中致病性寄生虫的低流行率和共生原生动物的高流行率表明总体种群健康状况良好。然而，在可能作为运输宿主的狒狒中，致病性寄生虫的高流行率突出表明需要对丰戈利黑猩猩种群进行持续的病原体监测，并指出需要进一步研究该地点的人畜共患病病原体的流行病学和跨物种传播生态学。
