title: The host specificity of ape malaria parasites can be broken in confined environments.
abstract: Recent studies have revealed a large diversity of Plasmodium spp. among African great apes. Some of these species are related to Plasmodium falciparum, the most virulent agent of human malaria (subgenus Laverania), and others to Plasmodium ovale, Plasmodium malariae and Plasmodium vivax (subgenus Plasmodium), three other human malaria agents. Laverania parasites exhibit strict host specificity in their natural environment. Plasmodium reichenowi, Plasmodium billcollinsi, Plasmodium billbrayi and Plasmodium gaboni infect only chimpanzees, while Plasmodium praefalciparum, Plasmodium blacklocki and Plasmodium adleri are restricted to gorillas and Plasmodium falciparum is pandemic in humans. This host specificity may be due to genetic and/or environmental factors. Infrastructures hosting captive primates, such as sanctuaries and health centres, usually concentrate different primate species, thus favouring pathogen exchanges. Using molecular tools, we analysed blood samples from captive non-human primates living in Gabon to evaluate the risk of Plasmodium spp. transfers between host species. We also included blood samples from workers taking care of primates to assess whether primate-human parasite transfers occurred. We detected four transfers of Plasmodium from gorillas towards chimpanzees, one from chimpanzees to gorillas, three from humans towards chimpanzees and one from humans to mandrills. No simian Plasmodium was found in the blood samples from humans working with primates. These findings demonstrate that the genetic barrier that determines the apparent host specificity of Laverania is not completely impermeable and that parasite exchanges between gorillas and chimpanzees are possible in confined environments.
authors.affiliation: Centre de Primatologie, CIRMF, B.P. 769, Franceville, Gabon; Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR5558, Université Lyon 1, France; LabEx ECOFECT, Eco-evolutionary Dynamics of Infectious Diseases, University of Lyon, France. Electronic address: genistha@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Barthélémy
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ngoubangoye
authors.affiliation: Unité de Biodiversité, Ecologie et Evolution des Parasites, CIRMF, B.P. 769, Franceville, Gabon; Laboratoire d'Écologie et Biologie Evolutive, Département de Biologie Animale, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar, BP5005, Senegal. Electronic address: larsonamedeo@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Larson
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Boundenga
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire MIVEGEC, UM-CNRS 5290-IRD 224, IRD Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Céline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Arnathau
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire MIVEGEC, UM-CNRS 5290-IRD 224, IRD Montpellier, France; Département de Zoonoses et maladies émergentes, CIRMF, B.P. 769, Franceville, Gabon.
authors.forename: Illich Manfred
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Mombo
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire MIVEGEC, UM-CNRS 5290-IRD 224, IRD Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Durand
authors.affiliation: Centre de Primatologie, CIRMF, B.P. 769, Franceville, Gabon.
authors.forename: Thierry-Audrey
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Tsoumbou
authors.affiliation: Centre de Primatologie, CIRMF, B.P. 769, Franceville, Gabon.
authors.forename: Bertony Vacky
authors.initials: BV
authors.lastname: Otoro
authors.affiliation: Centre de Primatologie, CIRMF, B.P. 769, Franceville, Gabon.
authors.forename: Rick
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sana
authors.affiliation: Unité de Biodiversité, Ecologie et Evolution des Parasites, CIRMF, B.P. 769, Franceville, Gabon.
authors.forename: Alain-Prince
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Okouga
authors.affiliation: Unité de Biodiversité, Ecologie et Evolution des Parasites, CIRMF, B.P. 769, Franceville, Gabon.
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Moukodoum
authors.affiliation: Parc de La Lékédi, Société d'Exploitation du Parc de La Lékédi/Entreprise de Recherche et d'Activités Métallurgiques/Compagnie Minière de l'Ogooué, BP 52, Bakoumba, Gabon.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Willaume
authors.affiliation: Centre de Primatologie, CIRMF, B.P. 769, Franceville, Gabon.
authors.forename: Anaïs
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Herbert
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR5558, Université Lyon 1, France; LabEx ECOFECT, Eco-evolutionary Dynamics of Infectious Diseases, University of Lyon, France.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fouchet
authors.affiliation: Unité de Biodiversité, Ecologie et Evolution des Parasites, CIRMF, B.P. 769, Franceville, Gabon; Laboratoire MIVEGEC, UM-CNRS 5290-IRD 224, IRD Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Virginie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Rougeron
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire d'Écologie et Biologie Evolutive, Département de Biologie Animale, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar, BP5005, Senegal.
authors.forename: Cheikh Tidiane
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Bâ
authors.affiliation: Unité de Biodiversité, Ecologie et Evolution des Parasites, CIRMF, B.P. 769, Franceville, Gabon.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ollomo
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire MIVEGEC, UM-CNRS 5290-IRD 224, IRD Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Paupy
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire MIVEGEC, UM-CNRS 5290-IRD 224, IRD Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Eric M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Leroy
authors.affiliation: Unité de Biodiversité, Ecologie et Evolution des Parasites, CIRMF, B.P. 769, Franceville, Gabon.
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Renaud
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR5558, Université Lyon 1, France; LabEx ECOFECT, Eco-evolutionary Dynamics of Infectious Diseases, University of Lyon, France.
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pontier
authors.affiliation: Unité de Biodiversité, Ecologie et Evolution des Parasites, CIRMF, B.P. 769, Franceville, Gabon; Laboratoire MIVEGEC, UM-CNRS 5290-IRD 224, IRD Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Franck
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Prugnolle
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000852:Anopheles / Q000469:parasitology; D045303:Cytochromes b / Q000235:genetics; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000097:blood / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000097:blood / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D017753:Ecosystem; D005681:Gabon; D054629:Genome, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics; D006071:Gorilla gorilla / Q000469:parasitology; D000882:Haplorhini / Q000469:parasitology; D058507:Host Specificity / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D008288:Malaria / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000635:transmission; D048528:Mandrillus / Q000469:parasitology; D000072138:Mosquito Vectors / Q000469:parasitology; D002679:Pan troglodytes / Q000469:parasitology; D010802:Phylogeny; D010961:Plasmodium / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D018419:Primate Diseases / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000635:transmission; D011323:Primates; D012307:Risk Factors; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D045303:Cytochromes b
keywords: Cross-species transfers; Great apes; Host specificity; Human; Laverania subgenus; Sanctuaries