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1. Ecology eclipses phylogeny as a major driver of nematode parasite community structure in a graminivorous primate

   https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.13603  

   Schneider‐Crease, India; Beehner, Jacinta C.; Bergman, Thore J.; Gomery, Megan A.; Koklic, Lia; Lu, Amy; Snyder‐Mackler, Noah; Barribeau, ed., Seth (June 2020, Functional Ecology)

   Abstract Understanding how ecology and phylogeny shape parasite communities can inform parasite control and wildlife conservation initiatives while contributing to the study of host species evolution.We tested the relative strengths of phylogeny and ecology in driving parasite community structure in a host whose ecology diverges significantly from that of its closest phylogenetic relatives.We characterized the gastrointestinal (GI) parasite community of wild geladasTheropithecus gelada, primates that are closely related to baboons but specialized to graminovory in the Ethiopian Highlands.Geladas exhibited very constrained GI parasite communities: only two genera (OesophagostomumandTrichostrongylus) were identified across 305 samples. This is far below the diversity reported for baboons (Papiospp.) and at the low end of the range of domestic grazers (e.g.Bos taurus,Ovis aries) inhabiting the same region and ecological niche.Using deep amplicon sequencing, we identified 15 amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) within the two genera, seven of which matched toOesophagostomumsp., seven toTrichostrongylussp., and one toT. vitrinus.Population was an important predictor of ASV richness. Geladas in the most ecologically disturbed area of the national park exhibited approximately four times higher ASV richness than geladas at a less disturbed location within the park.In this system, ecology was a stronger predictor of parasite community structure than was phylogeny, with geladas sharing more elements of their parasite communities with other grazers in the same area than with closely related sister taxa. A freePlain Language Summarycan be found within the Supporting Information of this article. 

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2. 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. 

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3. 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, International Consortium of Biodiversity (KOBI) 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. 

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4. 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. 

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5. Predictors of zoonotic potential in helminths

   https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2020.0356  

   Majewska, Ania A.; Huang, Tao; Han, Barbara; Drake, John M. (November 2021, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences)

   Helminths are parasites that cause disease at considerable cost to public health and present a risk for emergence as novel human infections. Although recent research has elucidated characteristics conferring a propensity to emergence in other parasite groups (e.g. viruses), the understanding of factors associated with zoonotic potential in helminths remains poor. We applied an investigator-directed learning algorithm to a global dataset of mammal helminth traits to identify factors contributing to spillover of helminths from wild animal hosts into humans. We characterized parasite traits that distinguish between zoonotic and non-zoonotic species with 91% accuracy. Results suggest that helminth traits relating to transmission (e.g. definitive and intermediate hosts) and geography (e.g. distribution) are more important to discriminating zoonotic from non-zoonotic species than morphological or epidemiological traits. Whether or not a helminth causes infection in companion animals (cats and dogs) is the most important predictor of propensity to cause human infection. Finally, we identified helminth species with high modelled propensity to cause zoonosis (over 70%) that have not previously been considered to be of risk. This work highlights the importance of prioritizing studies on the transmission of helminths that infect pets and points to the risks incurred by close associations with these animals. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Infectious disease macroecology: parasite diversity and dynamics across the globe’. 

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