Assessment of gastrointestinal parasites in wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) in southeast Cameroon.
We tested 114 faecal samples from wild simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-positive (n = 43) and SIV-negative (n = 71) chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) in southeast Cameroon for the presence of gastrointestinal parasites by direct smear. We observed cysts from different protozoa (Entamoeba coli and Entamoeba histolytica / Entamoeba dispar, Endolimax nana, Iodamoeba butschlii, Chilomastix mesnili, Balantidium coli and Blastocystis cells) and trophozoites from Troglodytella abrassarti and Balantidium coli. Eggs from different helminths (strongylids, Ascaris lumbricoides, Abbreviata caucasica, Trichuris sp., Capillaria sp., Enterobius anthropopeci, Bertiella sp., Hymenolepis diminuta and an undetermined fluke) were also observed. Finally, we observed eggs that could not be properly identified and classified. We did not observe any differences between the SIV+ and SIV- samples except for the unidentified eggs. The studied chimpanzees were highly parasitised by strongylid (85.1% of prevalence), Troglodytella (43.8%) and Blastocystis (2.9%), and the frequency of the other parasites ranged from 0.9 to 8.8%. These high levels of parasite infections could represent an additional burden in a population where there is a high rate of the SIV virus in circulation.
UMI 233 "TransVIHMI" Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement (IRD) and University of Montpellier 1 (UM1), Montpellier, France, pascal.drakulovski@univ-montp1.fr.
Pascal
P
Drakulovski
Sébastien
S
Bertout
Sabrina
S
Locatelli
Christelle
C
Butel
Sébastien
S
Pion
Eitel
E
Mpoudi-Ngole
Eric
E
Delaporte
Martine
M
Peeters
Michèle
M
Mallié
D000818:Animals; D002163:Cameroon / Q000453:epidemiology; D060085:Coinfection; D004747:Entamoeba / Q000145:classification* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004749:Entamoebiasis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D006374:Helminthiasis, Animal / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D006376:Helminths / Q000145:classification* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D007411:Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D002679:Pan troglodytes / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000821:virology; D015995:Prevalence; D016097:Simian Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D015302:Simian Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000302:isolation & purification