Gastrointestinal parasites of the chimpanzee population introduced onto Rubondo Island National Park, Tanzania

Abstract

The release of any species into a novel environment can evoke transmission of parasites that do not normally parasitize the host as well as potentially introducing new parasites into the environment. Species introductions potentially incur such risks, yet little is currently known about the parasite fauna of introduced primate species over the long term. We describe the results of long-term monitoring of the intestinal parasite fauna of an unprovisioned, reproducing population of chimpanzees introduced 40 years earlier (1966-1969) onto Rubondo Island in Lake Victoria, Tanzania, a non-native habitat for chimpanzees. Two parasitological surveys (March 1997-October 1998 and October 2002-December 2005) identified Entamoeba spp. including E. coli, Iodamoeba buetschlii, Troglodytella abrassarti, Chilomastix mesnili, Trichuris sp., Anatrichosoma sp., Strongyloides spp., Strongylida fam. gen. sp., Enterobius anthropopitheci, Subulura sp., Ascarididae gen. sp., and Protospirura muricola. The parasite fauna of the Rubondo chimpanzees is similar to wild chimpanzees living in their natural habitats, but Rubondo chimpanzees have a lower prevalence of strongylids (9%, 3.8%) and a higher prevalence of E. anthropopitheci (8.6%, 17.9%) than reported elsewhere. Species prevalence was similar between our two surveys, with the exception of Strongyloides spp. being higher in the first survey. None of these species are considered to pose a serious health risk to chimpanzees, but continued monitoring of the population and surveys of the parasitic fauna of the two coinhabitant primate species and other animals, natural reservoir hosts of some of the same parasites, is important to better understand the dynamics of host-parasite ecology and potential long-term implications for chimpanzees introduced into a new habitat.

Assessment of gastrointestinal parasites in wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) in southeast Cameroon

“…The rate of global strongylid infection was 85.1 %. This rate was significantly higher than the 10.9 to 41.3 % strongylid prevalence in wild Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii populations in Rubondo Island National Park, Tanzania (Petrášová et al 2010; Petrzelková et al 2010), 19.53 % prevalence in wild Pan troglodytes verus population in Fongoli, Senegal, (Howells et al 2011) and 13.04 % prevalence found in captive Pan troglodytes elliotii from Calabar, Nigeria (Mbaya and Udendeye 2011). However, this rate of infection was similar to what was found in Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii populations of Gombe National Park, Tanzania (Gillespie et al 2010), and Kibale National Park, Uganda (Krief et al 2005; Muehlenbein 2005), with a strongylid prevalence ranging from 74.32 up to 100 %.…”

“…Concerning the other helminth infections ( Ascaris , Trichuris , Abbreviata , Capillaria , Enterobius , Bertiella , Fluke and Hymenolepis ), the prevalence was low and ranged from 0.9 to 4.5 %, depending on the species, and was similar to or below the average rate of infection found in other chimpanzee communities in Tanzania, Nigeria, Uganda, and Central African Republic (Lilly et al 2002; Krief et al 2003; Gillespie et al 2010; Howells et al 2011; Petrášová et al 2010; Petrzelková et al 2010; Mbaya and Udendeye 2011). …”

Gastrointestinal Parasites of Indigenous and Introduced Primate Species of Rubondo Island National Park, Tanzania

“…The apparent lack of seasonality in strongylids of Rubondo chimpanzees and guerezas might be caused by their lower prevalence in comparison to vervets. Petrželková et al (2006Petrželková et al ( , 2010 previously reported Anatrichosoma sp. and Subulura sp.…”

“…was reported to be associated with increased host density and frequency of contact between uninfected and infected hosts in the group (Gillespie et al 2005b). Petrželková et al (2006Petrželková et al ( , 2010 identified the spirurids occurring in Rubondo chimpanzees as Protospirura muricola based on adult morphology. We found morphologically identical spirurid eggs also in guerezas and vervets and we suggest that all primates at Rubondo probably harbor the same species of spirurid.…”

“…Petrželková et al 2010). On the contrary, parasite richness for samples reported for colobines and guenons at other sites was the same or lower than in Rubondo guerezas and vervets (Piliocolobus tephrosceles, Colobus guereza, Cercopithecus ascanius: Gillespie et al 2005b; Procolobus rufomitratus: Chapman et al 2007; Colobus vellerosus: Teichroeb et al 2009).…”