A Legacy of Low-Impact Logging does not Elevate Prevalence of Potentially Pathogenic Protozoa in Free-Ranging Gorillas and Chimpanzees in the Republic of Congo: Logging and Parasitism in African Apes |
| |
Authors: | Thomas R Gillespie David Morgan J Charlie Deutsch Mark S Kuhlenschmidt Johanna S Salzer Kenneth Cameron Trish Reed Crickette Sanz |
| |
Institution: | (1) Department of Environmental Studies and Program in Population Biology, Ecology, and Evolution, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA;(2) Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA;(3) Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, IL, USA;(4) Congo Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo;(5) Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA;(6) Global Health Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, NY, USA;(7) Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany;(8) E510 Math and Science Center, Emory University, 400 Dowman Drive, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA |
| |
Abstract: | Many studies have examined the long-term effects of selective logging on the abundance and diversity of free-ranging primates.
Logging is known to reduce the abundance of some primate species through associated hunting and the loss of food trees for
frugivores; however, the potential role of pathogens in such primate population declines is largely unexplored. Selective
logging results in a suite of alterations in host ecology and forest structure that may alter pathogen dynamics in resident
wildlife populations. In addition, environmental pollution with human fecal material may present a risk for wildlife infections
with zoonotic protozoa, such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia. To better understand this interplay, we compared patterns of infection with these potentially pathogenic protozoa in sympatric
western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) and chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) in the undisturbed Goualougo Triangle of Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park and the adjacent previously logged Kabo Concession
in northern Republic of Congo. No Cryptosporidium infections were detected in any of the apes examined and prevalence of infection with Giardia was low (3.73% overall) and did not differ between logged and undisturbed forest for chimpanzees or gorillas. These results
provide a baseline for prevalence of these protozoa in forest-dwelling African apes and suggest that low-intensity logging
may not result in long-term elevated prevalence of potentially pathogenic protozoa. |
| |
Keywords: | |
本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|