title: Impact of Anthropogenic Disturbance on Native and Invasive Trypanosomes of Rodents in Forested Uganda.
abstract: Habitat disturbance and anthropogenic change are globally associated with extinctions and invasive species introductions. Less understood is the impact of environmental change on the parasites harbored by endangered, extinct, and introduced species. To improve our understanding of the impacts of anthropogenic disturbance on such host-parasite interactions, we investigated an invasive trypanosome (Trypanosoma lewisi). We screened 348 individual small mammals, representing 26 species, from both forested and non-forested habitats in rural Uganda. Using microscopy and PCR, we identified 18% of individuals (order Rodentia) as positive for trypanosomes. Further phylogenetic analyses revealed two trypanosomes circulating-T. lewisi and T. varani. T. lewisi was found in seven species both native and invasive, while T. varani was identified in only three native forest species. The lack of T. varani in non-forested habitats suggests that it is a natural parasite of forest-dwelling rodents. Our findings suggest that anthropogenic disturbance may lead to spillover of an invasive parasite (T. lewisi) from non-native to native species, and lead to local co-extinction of a native parasite (T. varani) and native forest-dwelling hosts.
authors.affiliation: Program in Population Biology, Ecology, and Evolution, Emory University, 400 Dowman Dr., Math and Science Center 5th Floor, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.|Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.|Poxvirus and Rabies Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, 30333, USA.
authors.forename: Johanna S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Salzer
authors.affiliation: Department of Mammalogy and Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, 10024, USA.|Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas, Escuela Politécnica Nacional, PO Box 17-01-2759, Quito, Ecuador.
authors.forename: C Miguel
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Pinto
authors.affiliation: Program in Population Biology, Ecology, and Evolution, Emory University, 400 Dowman Dr., Math and Science Center 5th Floor, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.
authors.forename: Dylan C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Grippi
authors.affiliation: Program in Population Biology, Ecology, and Evolution, Emory University, 400 Dowman Dr., Math and Science Center 5th Floor, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.|Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.|Rickettsial Zoonoses Branch, Division of Vector-borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, 30333, USA.
authors.forename: Amanda Jo
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Williams-Newkirk
authors.affiliation: College of Professional Studies, Roosevelt University, Chicago, IL, 60605, USA.|Division of Mammals, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL, 60605, USA.
authors.forename: Julian Kerbis
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Peterhans
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.|Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.|Department of Biological Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
authors.forename: Innocent B
authors.initials: IB
authors.lastname: Rwego
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.|Poxvirus and Rabies Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, 30333, USA.
authors.forename: Darin S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Carroll
authors.affiliation: Program in Population Biology, Ecology, and Evolution, Emory University, 400 Dowman Dr., Math and Science Center 5th Floor, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA. thomas.gillespie@emory.edu.|Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA. thomas.gillespie@emory.edu.|Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA. thomas.gillespie@emory.edu.
authors.forename: Thomas R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Gillespie
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D010802:Phylogeny; D012376:Rodent Diseases; D012377:Rodentia / Q000469:parasitology*; D014352:Trypanosomiasis / Q000662:veterinary*; D014454:Uganda
keywords: Kibale National Park; Praomys; Rattus; Trypanosoma lewisi; Trypanosoma varani; disease; forest fragment; small mammals