Abstract
Background: Malaria is a disease caused by hemoparasites of the Plasmodium genus. Non-human primates (NHP) are hosts of Plasmodium sp. around the world. Several studies have demonstrated that Plasmodium sp. emerged from Africa. However, little information is currently available about Plasmodium falciparum in the neotropical NHP and even less in Ecuador. Indeed, the objective of our study was to identify by molecular phylogenetic analyses the Plasmodium species associated with NHP from the Western Amazon region of Ecuador, and to design a molecular taxonomy protocol to use in the NHP disease ecology. Methods: We extracted DNA from faecal samples (n = 26) from nine species of captive (n = 19) and free-ranging (n = 7) NHP, collected from 2011 to 2019 in the Western Amazon region of Ecuador. Results: Using a pan-Plasmodium PCR, we obtained one positive sample from an adult female Leontocebus lagonotus. A maximum likelihood phylogenetic analysis showed that this sequence unequivocally clustered with Plasmodium falciparum. Conclusions: The identification of Plasmodium sp. in NHP of the Ecuadorian Amazon would be essential to identify their role as potential zoonotic reservoirs, and it is also important to identify their origin in wildlife and their transmission in captive NHP.
Highlights
Malaria is a disease transmitted by mosquitoes and caused by a hemoparasite of the genus Plasmodium
Plasmodium simium has been found in less species, around 4 New World (NW) Nonhuman primates (NHP) species [18,21,22,23]
Plasmodium falciparum is one of the most malignant species of malaria and it originated from human migration into the NW [10,27,28]
Summary
Malaria is a disease transmitted by mosquitoes and caused by a hemoparasite of the genus Plasmodium. Plasmodium inhabits red blood cells and hepatocytes [1] It causes high fever, anemia, headaches, and diarrhea, among others. This mosquito-borne disease is found in humans and in several vertebrates such as birds [2,3], bats [4], antelopes and reptiles [5], and non-human primates (NHP) [6,7,8,9]. The objective of our study was to identify by molecular phylogenetic analyses the Plasmodium species associated with NHP from the Western Amazon region of Ecuador, and to design a molecular taxonomy protocol to use in the NHP disease ecology. Conclusions: The identification of Plasmodium sp. in NHP of the Ecuadorian Amazon would be essential to identify their role as potential zoonotic reservoirs, and it is important to identify their origin in wildlife and their transmission in captive NHP
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