Endoparasites of Western Lowland Gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) at Bai Hokou, Central African Republic

Freeman, Andrea S.; Kinsella, John; Cipolletta, Chloé; Deem, Sharon L.; Karesh, William B.

doi:10.7589/0090-3558-40.4.775

Cited by 63 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Morphology is the prevailing approach to identify entodiniomorphid ciliates. In western gorillas, five entodiniomorphid ciliates have been reported despite a very limited number of studies (Freeman et al 2004;Goussard et al 1983;Imai et al 1991;Landsoud-Soukate, Tutin, and Fernandez The data on the ciliate fauna in captive gorillas are scarce. In a single study, T. abrassarti was reported from gorillas recently imported to Antwerp Zoo, but without detailed morphological data necessary for determination and comparison with other entodiniomorphids (Mortelmans, Vercruysse, and Kageruka 1971).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In fact, chimpanzees are typical hosts for T. abrassarti. In wild western gorillas, P. gorillae is the most common entodiniomorph ciliate with the prevalences up to 95% (Goussard et al 1983) and 55% (Freeman et al 2004) reported. Both T. abrassarti and T. gorillae were suggested to be present in wild gorillas' feces, but because of delayed fixation their definitive identity has not been established (Goussard et al 1983).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Occurrence and Ape‐to‐Ape Transmission of the Entodiniomorphid Ciliate Troglodytella abrassarti in Captive Gorillas

Modrý¹,

Petrželková²,

Pomajbíková³

et al. 2009

J Eukaryotic Microbiology

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ABSTRACT. Entodiniomorphid ciliates are often present in the colons of wild apes. In captive apes the infection tends to gradually disappear, with the exception of Troglodytella abrassarti. We used fecal examinations to screen the gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) in European (Czech Republic, UK) and Australian Zoos to explore the ape-to-ape transmission pattern of T. abrassarti. Gorillas from two out of three European Zoos were positive for T. abrassarti, while gorillas from the Australian Zoo were negative. We documented a horizontal transmission of T. abrassarti to a non-infected adult gorilla introduced into a Troglodytella-positive group in the Prague Zoo and traced the origin of the ciliate infection to the Paignton Zoo (UK) using serial fecal examinations. During this study, two infant gorillas born in the Prague Zoo (CZ) first became positive for T. abrassarti at the age of 9 mo. Ciliate morphology and the sequencing of the small subunit rRNA gene and the internal transcribed spacer rDNA spacer region revealed that T. abrassarti affects both captive gorillas and chimpanzees. We conclude that zoo transport plays a major role in the distribution of T. abrassarti among captive gorillas.Key Words. Chimpanzee, Gorilla gorilla, molecular phylogeny, Pan troglodytes, zoo. DESPITE the fact that Troglodytella abrassarti was described almost one hundred years ago (Brumpt and Joyeux 1912), the entodiniomorphid ciliates still represent a neglected group of symbiotic organisms in the colonic ecosystem of gorillas and chimpanzees. The role of entodiniomorphid ciliates in ape digestion is not known. Nevertheless, entodiniomorphid ciliates are thought to participate in colonic fermentation of fiber similar to that in the horse colon or the rumen of cattle (Collet et al. 1984;Reichenow 1920). However, diarrhea and deaths in captive apes have also been attributed to entodiniomorphid ciliates (Ruch 1959).Field studies usually report only the prevalence of ciliates without attempts at species determination. Moreover, the evaluation of field material is complicated by the rapid degradation of trophozoites in the feces, potentially leading to an underestimation of their diversity (Bonhomme, Grain, and Collet 1989;Goussard et al. 1983;Imai et al. 1991;Profousová et al. 2007). As a result, we still have limited data about the diversity, host specificity, and transmission of entodiniomorphids in gorillas and chimpanzees.Most records of T. abrassarti are from the common chimpanzees, Pan troglodytes (Ashford, Reid, and Wrangham 2000;File, Mcgrew, and Tutin 1976;Krief et al. 2005). Only a single report of T. abrassarti exists in wild gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) from Gabon (Goussard et al. 1983). It is widely believed that entodiniomorphid ciliates tend to gradually disappear in captive apes due to unsuitable diet and probably also because of anti-parasitic treatment and antibiotic treatments (McClure and Guilloud 1971;Ruch 1959). Transmission between host adults and/or between adults and infants has not been studied. However...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Occurrence and Ape‐to‐Ape Transmission of the Entodiniomorphid Ciliate Troglodytella abrassarti in Captive Gorillas

Modrý¹,

Petrželková²,

Pomajbíková³

et al. 2009

J Eukaryotic Microbiology

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“…are the most common nematode of Old World monkeys and apes, including lowland gorillas. Freeman et al (2004) reported a high prevalence (100 %) of strongyles / trichostrongyles for their samples from western lowland gorillas at Bai Hokou, Central African Republic. From non-invasive parasitological surveys of chimpanzees and seven other non-human primate species at Kibale National Park, Uganda, high prevalences of Oesophagostomum eggs were observed (8.3 -85 %) (Krief et al, 2005;Bezjian et al, 2008;Ghai et al, 2014).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence and genetic diversity of Oesophagostomum stephanostomum in wild lowland gorillas at Moukalaba-Doudou National Park, Gabon

et al. 2014

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Using a sedimentation method, the prevalence of the nodular worm Oesophagostomum stephanostomum (Nematoda: Strongylida) in western lowland gorillas at Moukalaba-Doudou National Park (MDNP), Gabon, was determined in fecal samples collected between January 2007 and October 2011, along with their coprocultures. Concurrently, possible zoonotic Oesophagostomum infections in villagers living near MDNP were assessed from their fecal samples collected during October and November of 2011. In the gorillas, strongylid (Oesophagostomum and/or hookworm) eggs were found in 47 of 235 fecal samples (20.0 %) and Oesophagostomum larvae were detected in 101 of 229 coprocultures (44.1 %). In the villagers, strongylid eggs were found in 9 of 71 fecal samples (12.7 %), but no Oesophagostomum larvae were detected in coprocultures. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of ribosomal RNA gene (rDNA) and cytochrome c oxidase subunit-1 (cox-1) region of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of coprocultured Oesophagostomum larvae were amplified using parasite DNA extracted from 7–25 larvae/sample, cloned into Escherichia coli, and sequenced. Sequenced rDNA contained 353/354-bp long ITS1, 151-bp long 5.8S rDNA, and 227-bp long ITS2. Parts of clones showed variations at 1–3 bases in the ITS1 region at a frequency of 24/68 (35.3 %) and at 1–2 bases in the ITS2 region at a frequency of 7/68 (10.3 %), whereas the 5.8S rDNA was essentially identical. Sequenced cox-1 gene of the parasites, 849 bp in length, showed a higher number of nucleotide variations, mainly at the third nucleotide position of the codon. The majority of clones (27/41 (65.9 %)) had an identical amino acid sequence. These results suggest that at MDNP, Gabon, only a single population of O. stephanostomum with a degree of genetic diversity is prevalent in western lowland gorillas, without zoonotic complication in local inhabitants. The possible genetic variations in the ITS region of rDNA and cox-1gene of mtDNA presented here may be valuable when only a limited amount of material is available for the molecular species diagnosis of O. stephanostomum.

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“…(Ashford et al 1990(Ashford et al , 1996Durette-Desset et al 1992;Freeman et al 2004;Hastings et al 1992;Kalema 1995;Kalema-Zikusoka et al 2002;LandsoudSoukate et al 1995;Lilly et al 2002;Mudakikwa et al 1998Mudakikwa et al , 2001Nizeyi et al 1999;Rothman et al 2002;Sleeman et al 2000;van Waerebeke et al 1988) and Pan spp. (Ashford et al 2000;File et al 1976;Hasegawa et al 1983;Holmes 1980;Huffman et al 1997;Hugot 1993;Kawabata and Nishida 1991;Kim et al 1978;Landsoud-Soukate et al 1995;Lilly et al 2002;McGrew et al 1989;Murray et al 2000;Schmidt and Prine 1970;Smith et al 1996;van Waerebeke et al 1988;Wrangham 1995).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intestinal Parasites of Free-ranging, Semicaptive,and Captive Pongo abelii in Sumatra, Indonesia

et al. 2007

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We collected fecal samples from 32 free-ranging, 19 semicaptive, and 54 captive Sumatran orangutans on Sumatra from 1998 until 2004 and screened them for gastrointestinal parasites. Our objectives were to compare the intestinal parasites of free-ranging, semicaptive, and captive orangutans and to evaluate the risk of parasite transmission in orangutan reintroduction programs. We identified 4 genera of Protozoa, 7 genera of nematodes, 1 trematode sp., and 1 cestode sp. The prevalence of Balantidium coli in free-ranging orangutans was significantly higher than in captive individuals. However, the prevalence of Strongyloides sp. was higher in captive than in free-ranging orangutans. Free-ranging female orangutans had a significantly higher total prevalence of intestinal parasites than that of males. We found no significant difference between parasite prevalences in different age groups. Compared to gorillas and chimpanzees, orangutans carry a smaller variety of protozoan and nematode species. Strongyloides sp. infections form the highest risk in reintroduction programs as crowding, ground-dwelling, and poor hygiene in captive and semicaptive orangutans may cause a constant reinfection.

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Endoparasites of Western Lowland Gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) at Bai Hokou, Central African Republic

Cited by 63 publications

References 12 publications

The Occurrence and Ape‐to‐Ape Transmission of the Entodiniomorphid Ciliate Troglodytella abrassarti in Captive Gorillas

The Occurrence and Ape‐to‐Ape Transmission of the Entodiniomorphid Ciliate Troglodytella abrassarti in Captive Gorillas

Prevalence and genetic diversity of Oesophagostomum stephanostomum in wild lowland gorillas at Moukalaba-Doudou National Park, Gabon

Intestinal Parasites of Free-ranging, Semicaptive,and Captive Pongo abelii in Sumatra, Indonesia

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