Many infectious diseases are thought to have emerged in humans after the Neolithic revolution. Although it is broadly accepted that this also applies to measles, the exact date of emergence for this ...disease is controversial. We sequenced the genome of a 1912 measles virus and used selection-aware molecular clock modeling to determine the divergence date of measles virus and rinderpest virus. This divergence date represents the earliest possible date for the establishment of measles in human populations. Our analyses show that the measles virus potentially arose as early as the sixth century BCE, possibly coinciding with the rise of large cities.
A captive western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) presented with watery diarrhoea that progressed to become profuse and haemorrhagic. Faecal analyses revealed Balantidium (B.) coli ...trophozoites and salmonella‐like bacteria. Despite treatment the gorilla died on the 5th day after onset of symptoms. Post‐mortem examination revealed a severe erosive‐ulcerative superficial and deep colitis. Histological examination of post‐mortem samples of the colon showed plentiful B. coli invading into the mucosa and submucosa, whilst PCR screening of bacterial DNA could not confirm any bacteria species which could be connected to the clinical picture. As B. coli is usually a non‐pathogenic gut commensal, and as this animal previously showed evidence of non‐symptomatic infection of B. coli, it is possible that the switch in pathogenicity was triggered by an acute bacterial infection. Despite successful treatment of the bacterial infection the secondary deep invasion of B. coli was not reversed, possibly because of the failure of the treatment regimen, and led to the death of the gorilla.
Background Recent studies in non‐human primates have led to the discovery of novel primate herpesviruses. In order to get more information on herpesvirus infections in apes, we studied wild born ...captive chimpanzees.
Methods Chimpanzees of the Ngamba island sanctuary, Uganda, were analyzed with pan‐herpes polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting the herpesvirus DNA polymerase gene and the glycoprotein B gene. The obtained sequences were connected by long‐distance PCR, and analyzed phylogenetically.
Results Twenty‐one of 40 individuals were infected with members of the Gammaherpesvirinae, two of them with a novel member of this subfamily. Phylogenetically, the novel virus fell into a clade of primate rhadinoviruses and the Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus (human herpesvirus 8), representing a third distinct rhadinovirus in chimpanzees.
Conclusion Non‐human primates harbor several herpesviruses many of which are still unknown. This has implications to management of primates in sanctuaries requiring continuous updates on the management protocols to deal with potential occupational pathogens.
Background To understand immunological responses in chimpanzees vaccinated with live‐attenuated vaccine (oral polio vaccine; OPV), serum neutralizing antibodies against poliovirus types 1, 2, and 3 ...were investigated over time.
Methods The neutralizing antibody titers against poliovirus types 1, 2, and 3 were determined by microneutralization test using 100 ID50 of poliovirus types 1, 2, and 3 (Sabin strains).
Results Neutralizing antibodies against poliovirus types 1, 2, and 3 were detected in 85.7%, 71.4%, and 65% of the serum from 42 chimpanzees tested 9 years post‐vaccination. The neutralizing antibody titers in chimpanzees were similar to the documented levels in human studies as an indicator of vaccine efficacy.
Conclusions This study reveals persistence of neutralizing antibodies in chimpanzees for at least 9 years after vaccination with OPV. This first study in chimpanzees provides useful information for the evaluation of the success of vaccination with OPV in other captive apes.
Anthrax is a globally important animal disease and zoonosis. Despite this, our current knowledge of anthrax ecology is largely limited to arid ecosystems, where outbreaks are most commonly reported. ...Here we show that the dynamics of an anthrax-causing agent, Bacillus cereus biovar anthracis, in a tropical rainforest have severe consequences for local wildlife communities. Using data and samples collected over three decades, we show that rainforest anthrax is a persistent and widespread cause of death for a broad range of mammalian hosts. We predict that this pathogen will accelerate the decline and possibly result in the extirpation of local chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus) populations. We present the epidemiology of a cryptic pathogen and show that its presence has important implications for conservation.
Microbiomes impact a variety of processes including a host's ability to access nutrients and maintain health. While host species differences in microbiomes have been described across ecosystems, ...little is known about how microbiomes assemble, particularly in the ecological and social contexts in which they evolved. We examined gut microbiome composition in nine sympatric wild non-human primate (NHP) species. Despite sharing an environment and interspecific interactions, individuals harbored unique and persistent microbiomes influenced by host species, social group, and parentage, but surprisingly not by social relationships among members of a social group. We found a branching order of host-species networks constructed using the composition of their microbiomes as characters, which was incongruent with known NHP phylogenetic relationships, with chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) sister to colobines, upon which they regularly prey. In contrast to phylogenetic clustering found in all monkey microbiomes, chimpanzee microbiomes were unique in that they exhibited patterns of phylogenetic overdispersion. This reflects unique ecological processes impacting microbiome composition in chimpanzees and future studies will elucidate the aspects of chimpanzee ecology, life history, and physiology that explain their unique microbiome community structure. Our study of contemporaneous microbiomes of all sympatric diurnal NHP in an ecosystem highlights the diverse dispersal routes shaping these complex communities.
Yaws-like lesions are widely reported in wild African great apes, yet the causative agent has not been confirmed in affected animals. We describe yaws-like lesions in a wild chimpanzee in Guinea for ...which we demonstrate infection with Treponema pallidum subsp. pertenue. Assessing the conservation implications of this pathogen requires further research.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, ODKLJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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