Hassell James M, Zimmerman Dawn, Cranfield Michael R, Gilardi Kirsten, Mudakikwa Antoine, Ramer Jan, Nyirakaragire Elisabeth, Lowenstine Linda J
Royal Veterinary College, University of London, London, UK.
Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London, UK.
Am J Primatol. 2017 Oct;79(10). doi: 10.1002/ajp.22686. Epub 2017 Jul 27.
Long-term studies of morbidity and mortality in free-ranging primates are scarce, but may have important implications for the conservation of extant populations. Infants comprise a particularly important age group, as variation in survival rates may have a strong influence on population dynamics. Since 1968, the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project (MGVP, Inc.) and government partners have conducted a comprehensive health monitoring and disease investigation program on mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) in Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In an effort to better understand diseases in this species, we reviewed reliable field reports (n = 37), gross post-mortem (n = 66), and histopathology (n = 53) reports for 103 infants (less than 3.5 years) mountain gorillas in the Virunga Massif. Our aim was to conduct the first comprehensive analysis of causes of infant mortality and to correlate histological evidence with antemortem morbidity in infant mountain gorillas. Causes of morbidity and mortality were described, and compared by age, sex, and over time. Trauma was the most common cause of death in infants (56%), followed by respiratory infections and aspiration (13%). Gastrointestinal parasitism (33%), atypical lymphoid hyperplasia (suggestive of infectious disease) (31%), and hepatic capillariasis (25%) were the most significant causes of antemortem morbidity identified post-mortem. Identifying the causes of mortality and morbidity in infants of this critically endangered species will help to inform policy aimed at their protection and guide ante- and post-mortem health monitoring and clinical decision-making in the future.
对野生灵长类动物发病率和死亡率的长期研究很少，但可能对现存种群的保护具有重要意义。婴儿是一个特别重要的年龄组，因为存活率的变化可能对种群动态有很大影响。自1968年以来，山地大猩猩兽医项目（MGVP公司）和政府合作伙伴在卢旺达、乌干达和刚果民主共和国对山地大猩猩（Gorilla beringei beringei）开展了一项全面的健康监测和疾病调查项目。为了更好地了解该物种的疾病，我们查阅了关于维龙加山脉103只（不到3.5岁）婴儿山地大猩猩的可靠实地报告（n = 37）、大体尸检报告（n = 66）和组织病理学报告（n = 53）。我们的目的是首次对婴儿死亡率的原因进行全面分析，并将组织学证据与婴儿山地大猩猩死前的发病率相关联。描述了发病和死亡原因，并按年龄、性别和时间进行了比较。创伤是婴儿死亡的最常见原因（56%），其次是呼吸道感染和误吸（13%）。胃肠寄生虫病（33%）、非典型淋巴组织增生（提示传染病）（31%）和肝毛细线虫病（25%）是死后确定的死前发病的最重要原因。确定这种极度濒危物种婴儿的死亡率和发病率原因，将有助于为旨在保护它们的政策提供信息，并指导未来的死前和死后健康监测及临床决策。
