More Like this

1. Intestinal Parasite Infection among Bornean Orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii) in Gunung Palung National Park

   Robinson, Natalie; Karimah, Ishma F; Knott, Cheryl D; Susanto, Tri Wahyu (September 2019, The KOBI (Konsorsium Biologi Indonesia) 2nd International Conference)

   As wild orangutan populations become increasingly endangered, knowledge of their physiological and disease status provides critical information on how human disturbances, such as habitat loss, affect their health and long-term viability. An important tool in the assessment and monitoring of orangutan health is the detection of parasites in feces, as parasites can impact a wide range of biological functions. Intestinal parasites place stress on the host system, affecting nutrition, energy expenditure, travel, feeding patterns, immune function, and reproductive success. Thus, the analysis of non-invasively collected fecal samples provides a useful proxy for population health. Forty nine samples from 14 unique individuals were analyzed using both direct smear and single centrifuge flotation techniques. Samples were examined under a microscope and parasites were identified using movement type and morphological characteristics. A 100 percent overall parasite prevalence was found. Species of Balantidium, Entamoeba, Enterobius, Trichuris, Ascaris and Strongyle-type parasites were found. Larvae were also observed in all samples. An independent-samples Mann-Whitney U test found that the distribution of Balantidium sp. and Trichuris sp. were not even, and the prevalence among females was significantly higher. These results were unexpected, as they differ from the findings of prior parasitology studies, which found no difference in parasite prevalence between the sexes. This further emphasizes the need for continuing research as part of a longitudinal study. 

   more » « less
2. Gastrointestinal parasites of baboons (Papio papio) in NiokoloKoba National Park, Senegal

   https://doi.org/10.5455/OVJ.2022.v12.i4.9  

   Nda, Kacou; Dahourou, Laiban; Ndiaye, Papa; Lindshield, Stacy; GBATI, Oubri; Traore, Amadou (January 2022, Open Veterinary Journal)

   Abstract Background: Primates can harbour parasites that could be pathogenic or not for humans and primates themselves. It is necessary to know the parasitological situation of the primates that are under surveillance in the park. Aim: The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence and diversity of gastrointestinal parasites, including zoonotic potential parasites, in baboons in the Niokolo-Koba National Park located in Senegal. Method: Faecal samples (n=50) from two groups of Baboons (A and B) were collected in October 2019. Faecal samples were processed using the flotation technique and the modified Ritchie method. Slides were examined microscopically, and the parasite identification was based on morphology, colour, and parasite content. Results: A total of seven nematodes (Strongyloides sp., Trichirus sp., Ancylostoma sp., Mammo monogamus, Enterobius sp., Strongyloides stercoralis, Strongle digestif), one cestode (Bertiella sp.) and one trematode (Fasciolopsis sp.) were identified. The overall prevalence was 78% while poly-infestation prevalence was 49%. The parasite with zoonotic potential, Strongyloides stercoralis, was identified in group B samples. Trichuris sp. which is common and pathogenic to humans and primates was present with a prevalence of 52% and of 32% in groups A and B, respectively. Conclusion: These results suggest that baboons are infested with zoonotic parasites and this situation could expose people working in this park to infection. Contact between humans and these baboons or their faeces could expose to infection with zoonotic parasites. 

   more » « less
3. The socioecology of parasite infection in wild Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii) in Gunung Palung National Park, West Kalimantan, Indonesia

   O’Connell, Caitlin A.; Robinson, Natalie; Karimah, Ishma Fatiha; Susanto, Tri Wahyu; Foitova, Ivona; Knott, Cheryl D. (February 2020, American journal of physical anthropology)

   The socioecological model predicts that food availability and risk of parasite transmission influence sociality in primates. As a semi-solitary ape inhabiting the masting forests of Southeast Asia, orangutans provide a unique opportunity to compare social and non-social periods and highly variable foraging conditions within one population. This study compared two data collection periods when fruit availability differed markedly to determine whether sociality and parasite prevalence decrease as expected during periods of fruit scarcity. Fecal samples were analyzed using direct smear and fecal concentration techniques on-site at Cabang Panti Research Station from 2013-2014 and 2018-2019. From the high fruit period to the low fruit period, sociality decreased from 54% of focal follows containing a social event to 29%, while overall parasite prevalence remained the same at 100%. Interesting differences arose for certain parasite species, however. Enterobius sp. prevalence decreased during the low fruit period for both sexes but even more so for males (50% to 29% for females; 56% to 0 for males). Prevalence of Trichuris sp. increased for females during the low fruit period (5% to 43%) while prevalence among males remained the same. These results lend support to the prediction that social contact influences transmission risk for some parasite species, while other parasites may be more responsive to factors such as changes in reproductive state. These findings suggest that differences in the behavioral strategies of the sexes and the differential energetic demands of life history stages have an influence on parasitic infection patterns. 

   more » « less
4. Host and parasite traits predict cross-species parasite acquisition by introduced mammals

   https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2021.0341  

   Schatz, Annakate M.; Park, Andrew W. (May 2021, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences)

   null (Ed.)

   Species invasions and range shifts can lead to novel host–parasite communities, but we lack general rules on which new associations are likely to form. While many studies examine parasite sharing among host species, the directionality of transmission is typically overlooked, impeding our ability to derive principles of parasite acquisition. Consequently, we analysed parasite records from the non-native ranges of 11 carnivore and ungulate species. Using boosted regression trees, we modelled parasite acquisition within each zoogeographic realm of a focal host's non-native range, using a suite of predictors characterizing the parasites themselves and the host community in which they live. We found that higher parasite prevalence among established hosts increases the likelihood of acquisition, particularly for generalist parasites. Non-native host species are also more likely to acquire parasites from established host species to which they are closely related; however, the acquisition of several parasite groups is biased to phylogenetically specialist parasites, indicating potential costs of parasite generalism. Statistical models incorporating these features provide an accurate prediction of parasite acquisition, indicating that measurable host and parasite traits can be used to estimate the likelihood of new host–parasite associations forming. This work provides general rules to help anticipate novel host–parasite associations created by climate change and other anthropogenic influences. 

   more » « less
5. Field Evidence of Mosquito Population Regulation by a Gregarine Parasite

   https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjab009  

   Soghigian, John; Livdahl, Todd (February 2021, Journal of Medical Entomology)

   Scaraffia, Patricia (Ed.)

   Abstract Although parasites are by definition costly to their host, demonstrating that a parasite is regulating its host abundance in the field can be difficult. Here we present an example of a gregarine parasite, Ascogregarina taiwanensis Lien and Levine (Apicomplexa: Lecudinidae), regulating its mosquito host, Aedes albopictus Skuse (Diptera: Culicidae), in Bermuda. We sampled larvae from container habitats over 2 yr, assessed parasite prevalence, and estimated host abundance from egg counts obtained in neighboring ovitraps. We regressed change in average egg count from 1 yr to the next on parasite prevalence and found a significant negative effect of parasite prevalence. We found no evidence of host density affecting parasite prevalence. Our results demonstrate that even for a parasite with moderate virulence, host regulation can occur in the field. 

   more » « less