title: Diversity of malaria parasites in great apes in Gabon.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Until 2009, the Laverania subgenus counted only two representatives: Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium reichenowi. The recent development of non-invasive methods allowed re-exploration of plasmodial diversity in African apes. Although a large number of great ape populations have now been studied regarding Plasmodium infections in Africa, there are still vast areas of their distribution that remained unexplored. Gabon constitutes an important part of the range of western central African great ape subspecies (Pan troglodytes troglodytes and Gorilla gorilla gorilla), but has not been studied so far. In the present study, the diversity of Plasmodium species circulating in great apes in Gabon was analysed.
  
  
  METHODS
  The analysis of 1,261 faecal samples from 791 chimpanzees and 470 gorillas collected from 24 sites all over Gabon was performed. Plasmodium infections were characterized by amplification and sequencing of a portion of the Plasmodium cytochrome b gene.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The analysis of the 1,261 samples revealed that at least six Plasmodium species circulate in great apes in Gabon (Plasmodium praefalciparum, Plasmodium gorA (syn Plasmodium adleri), Plasmodium gorB (syn Plasmodium blacklocki) in gorillas and Plasmodium gaboni, P. reichenowi and Plasmodium billcollinsi in chimpanzees). No new phylogenetic lineages were discovered. The average infection rate was 21.3% for gorillas and 15.4% for chimpanzees. A logistic regression showed that the probability of infection was significantly dependent on the freshness of the droppings but not of the host species or of the average pluviometry of the months of collection.
authors.affiliation: Centre International de Recherche Médicale de Franceville, BP 769, Franceville-Gabon, Gabon. larsonamedeo@yahoo.fr.|Laboratoire d'Écologie et Biologie évolutive, Département de Biologie Animale, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar, Dakar, BP5005, Sénégal. larsonamedeo@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Larson
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Boundenga
authors.affiliation: Centre International de Recherche Médicale de Franceville, BP 769, Franceville-Gabon, Gabon. bollomo@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ollomo
authors.affiliation: Centre International de Recherche Médicale de Franceville, BP 769, Franceville-Gabon, Gabon. rougeron.virginie@yahoo.fr.|MIVEGEC (Laboratoire Maladies Infectieuses et Vecteurs, Ecologie, Génétique, Evolution et Contrôle), UMR CNRS 5290 / IRD 224, Université Montpellier 1, Montpellier, France. rougeron.virginie@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Virginie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Rougeron
authors.affiliation: Centre International de Recherche Médicale de Franceville, BP 769, Franceville-Gabon, Gabon. laurhy6@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Lauriane Yacka
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Mouele
authors.affiliation: Centre International de Recherche Médicale de Franceville, BP 769, Franceville-Gabon, Gabon. mvebertrand2000@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Bertrand
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mve-Ondo
authors.affiliation: Centre International de Recherche Médicale de Franceville, BP 769, Franceville-Gabon, Gabon. delicatlurce@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Lucrèce M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Delicat-Loembet
authors.affiliation: Centre International de Recherche Médicale de Franceville, BP 769, Franceville-Gabon, Gabon. nancydiamella@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Nancy Diamella
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Moukodoum
authors.affiliation: Centre International de Recherche Médicale de Franceville, BP 769, Franceville-Gabon, Gabon. aokouga@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Alain Prince
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Okouga
authors.affiliation: MIVEGEC (Laboratoire Maladies Infectieuses et Vecteurs, Ecologie, Génétique, Evolution et Contrôle), UMR CNRS 5290 / IRD 224, Université Montpellier 1, Montpellier, France. celine.arnathau@ird.fr.
authors.forename: Céline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Arnathau
authors.affiliation: MIVEGEC (Laboratoire Maladies Infectieuses et Vecteurs, Ecologie, Génétique, Evolution et Contrôle), UMR CNRS 5290 / IRD 224, Université Montpellier 1, Montpellier, France. eric.elguero@ird.fr.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Elguero
authors.affiliation: MIVEGEC (Laboratoire Maladies Infectieuses et Vecteurs, Ecologie, Génétique, Evolution et Contrôle), UMR CNRS 5290 / IRD 224, Université Montpellier 1, Montpellier, France. Patrick.durand@ird.fr.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Durand
authors.affiliation: Centre International de Recherche Médicale de Franceville, BP 769, Franceville-Gabon, Gabon. florian.liegeois@ird.fr.|TransVIHMI (Recherche Translationnelle sur le VIH et les Maladies Infectieuses), UMI 233, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD) and Université Montpellier 1, Montpellier, France. florian.liegeois@ird.fr.
authors.forename: Florian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Liégeois
authors.affiliation: Centre International de Recherche Médicale de Franceville, BP 769, Franceville-Gabon, Gabon. svetnina@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Vanina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Boué
authors.affiliation: Centre International de Recherche Médicale de Franceville, BP 769, Franceville-Gabon, Gabon. p.motsch@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Peggy
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Motsch
authors.affiliation: Centre International de Recherche Médicale de Franceville, BP 769, Franceville-Gabon, Gabon. leflohg@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Guillaume
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Le Flohic
authors.affiliation: Centre International de Recherche Médicale de Franceville, BP 769, Franceville-Gabon, Gabon. alphonsendoungouet@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Alphonse
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ndoungouet
authors.affiliation: Centre International de Recherche Médicale de Franceville, BP 769, Franceville-Gabon, Gabon. Christophe.paupy@ird.fr.|MIVEGEC (Laboratoire Maladies Infectieuses et Vecteurs, Ecologie, Génétique, Evolution et Contrôle), UMR CNRS 5290 / IRD 224, Université Montpellier 1, Montpellier, France. Christophe.paupy@ird.fr.
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Paupy
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire d'Écologie et Biologie évolutive, Département de Biologie Animale, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar, Dakar, BP5005, Sénégal. cheikhti.ba@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Cheikh Tidiane
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Ba
authors.affiliation: MIVEGEC (Laboratoire Maladies Infectieuses et Vecteurs, Ecologie, Génétique, Evolution et Contrôle), UMR CNRS 5290 / IRD 224, Université Montpellier 1, Montpellier, France. francois.renaud@ird.fr.
authors.forename: Francois
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Renaud
authors.affiliation: Centre International de Recherche Médicale de Franceville, BP 769, Franceville-Gabon, Gabon. franck.prugnolle@ird.fr.|MIVEGEC (Laboratoire Maladies Infectieuses et Vecteurs, Ecologie, Génétique, Evolution et Contrôle), UMR CNRS 5290 / IRD 224, Université Montpellier 1, Montpellier, France. franck.prugnolle@ird.fr.
authors.forename: Franck
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Prugnolle
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018420:Ape Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D005681:Gabon / Q000453:epidemiology; D006071:Gorilla gorilla; D008288:Malaria / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D002679:Pan troglodytes; D010802:Phylogeny; D010961:Plasmodium / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA / Q000662:veterinary
chemical_list: D015800:Protozoan Proteins