Abstract
Rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) are hosts to a range of zoonotic and potentially zoonotic pathogens. The present study firstly provides a broader investigation of the presence and prevalence of zoonotic fecal pathogens in wild Taihangshan macaques, a subspecies of rhesus macaque in China. A total of 458 fecal samples were collected between September 2015 and November 2016. Fourteen genera of intestinal parasites (four genera of protozoans and ten genera of helminths) and twelve genera of bacteria were tested for using PCR amplification. The overall samples prevalence of parasitic infection was 98.25%. Entamoeba spp. (89.96%), Balantidium coli (70.09%), and Isospora spp. (28.38%) were the most prevalent protozoa, whereas the predominant prevalent helminths were Trichuris sp. (93.23%), Strongyloides spp. (73.36%), and Oesophagostomum sp. (31.66%). Ten genera of intestinal bacteria were detected in samples of rhesus macaques, including Shigella (31.66%), Escherichia coli (29.91%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (28.38%), Leptospira (26.64%), Campylobacter jejuni (18.34%), Salmonella (13.32%), etc. Eight samples (1.75%) were tested Hafnia-positive based on sequences analysis of 16S rRNA and ampC gene. This is the first molecular characterization of Hafnia infection in NHPs. Our cross-sectional prevalence study provides important information for monitoring the potential transmission of zoonotic infections from wild rhesus macaques.
Highlights
Rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) are one of the most widely distributed nonhuman primates (NHPs) in the world
There are more than six kinds of rhesus macaque subspecies in China, and Taihangshan macaque (Macaca mulatta tcheliensis) is a subspecies confined to China southern Taihangshan Mountains area on the Henan-Shanxi border (N 35∘1249, E 112∘4125) [1]
Entamoeba spp. was the most prevalent protozoa and its prevalence was 89.96%, followed by 70.09% prevalence of Balantidium coli, and 28.38% of Isospora spp., whereas the predominant prevalent helminths were Trichuris sp. (93.23%), Strongyloides spp. (73.36%), Oesophagostomum sp. (31.66%), Physaloptera sp. (15.07%), Capillaria spp. (8.30%), Trichostrongylus sp. (6.77%), Ancylostoma spp. (3.28%), and Enterobius spp. (1.75%) (Table 1)
Summary
Rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) are one of the most widely distributed nonhuman primates (NHPs) in the world. Rhesus macaques are an increasingly important source of zoonotic diseases [2] They can share pathogens with livestock and humans and act as reservoirs for several emerging infectious diseases such as malaria [2, 3]. A diversity of intestinal parasites including five protozoan genera and six helminths genera was reported to infect NHPs [7, 8]. Many of these bacteria and parasites have strong pathogenic potential in both humans and animals. There are few data regarding the prevalence and distribution of the potential zoonotic fecal pathogens among Taihangshan macaques.
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