Molecular Detection and Characterization of Intestinal and Blood Parasites in Wild Chimpanzees () in Senegal.

Wild chimpanzee populations in West Africa () have dramatically decreased as a direct consequence of anthropogenic activities and infectious diseases. Little information is currently available on the epidemiology, pathogenic significance, and zoonotic potential of protist species in wild chimpanzees. This study investigates the occurrence and genetic diversity of intestinal and blood protists as well as filariae in faecal samples ( = 234) from wild chimpanzees in the Dindefelo Community Nature Reserve, Senegal. PCR-based results revealed the presence of intestinal potential pathogens ( spp.: 11.5%; : 2.1%; : 0.9%), protist of uncertain pathogenicity ( sp.: 5.6%), and commensal species (: 18.4%; : 5.6%). , , and were undetected. Blood protists including (0.4%), (1.3%), and (9.8%) were also identified. Sanger sequencing analyses revealed host-adapted genetic variants within , but other parasitic pathogens (, , , ) have zoonotic potential, suggesting that cross-species transmission between wild chimpanzees and humans is possible in areas where both species overlap. Additionally, we explored potential interactions between intestinal/blood protist species and seasonality and climate variables. Chimpanzees seem to play a more complex role on the epidemiology of pathogenic and commensal protist and nematode species than initially anticipated.