Abstract
The lemurs of Madagascar are threatened by human activities. We present the first molecular detection of canine heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) in a wild non-human primate, the mouse lemur (Microcebus rufus). Zoonotic D. immitis infection has been associated with clinical pathology that includes serious and often fatal cardiac and pulmonary reactions. With human encroachment and associated increases in free-roaming dog populations in Madagascar, we examined lemurs for zoonotic canid pathogens. D. immitis presents a new potential conservation threat to lemurs. We highlight the need for wide-ranging and effective interventions, particularly near protected areas, to address this growing conservation issue.
Highlights
The five lemur families are amongst the world's most imperiled groups of vertebrates with at least 94% of 101 species identified as threatened by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (Schwitzer et al, 2013)
Blood samples were collected from 47 mouse lemurs in Ranomafana National Park (RNP), Madagascar, where free-roaming dog populations are high (Farris et al, 2017)
Sequencing of the purified “pan-filarial” PCR products coupled with BLAST analyses of these results confirmed the presence of D. immitis DNA in both samples found to be positive using the “pan-filarial” primer set described above
Summary
The five lemur families are amongst the world's most imperiled groups of vertebrates with at least 94% of 101 species identified as threatened by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (Schwitzer et al, 2013). 9,700 km of forest, which is almost three times the area of loss in the previous decade (Schwitzer et al, 2014; Doherty et al, 2016; Kim et al, 2015). Free-ranging domestic dogs affect wildlife through predation, competition, hybridization, and disease transmission (Young et al, 2011; Koster and Noss, 2014; Vanak and Gompper, 2010; Leonard et al, 2014; Rasambainarivo et al, 2017; Hughes and Macdonald, 2013). In Madagascar, free-roaming dog populations have been shown to have negative effects on lemur populations (Farris et al, 2014) and numerous other endemic wildlife species (Farris et al, 2015a, 2015b); pathogen transfer from dogs to native wildlife has not yet been investigated (Rasambainarivo et al., IJP: Parasites and Wildlife 9 (2019) 119–121
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