Occurrence of Ten Protozoan Enteric Pathogens in Three Non-Human Primate Populations.

Estelle Menu,Jean Akiana,Didier Raoult,Anthony Levasseur,Bernard Davoust,Fadi Bittar,Oleg Mediannikov,Stéphane Ranque,Baptiste Mulot,Georges Diatta

doi:10.3390/pathogens10030280

Abstract

Non-human primate populations act as potential reservoirs for human pathogens, including viruses, bacteria and parasites, which can lead to zoonotic infections. Furthermore, intestinal microorganisms may be pathogenic organisms to both non-human primates and humans. It is, therefore, essential to study the prevalence of these infectious agents in captive and wild non-human primates. This study aimed at showing the prevalence of the most frequently encountered human enteric protozoa in non-human primate populations based on qPCR detection. The three populations studied were common chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) in Senegal and gorillas (Gorilla gorilla) in the Republic of the Congo and in the Beauval Zoo (France). Blastocystis spp. were mainly found, with an occurrence close to 100%, followed by Balantidium coli (23.7%), Giardia intestinalis (7.9%), Encephalitozoon intestinalis (1.3%) and Dientamoeba fragilis (0.2%). None of the following protozoa were detected: Entamoeba histolytica, Enterocytozoon bieneusi, Cryptosporidium parvum, C. hominis, Cyclospora cayetanensis or Cystoisospora belli. As chimpanzees and gorillas are genetically close to humans, it is important to monitor them frequently against different pathogens to protect these endangered species and to assess potential zoonotic transmissions to humans.

Highlights

Several enteric protozoa that can provoke zoonotic diseases are currently facilitated by and associated with the growing popularity of open farms and petting zoos, which are a possible source of outbreaks and transmission to humans [1,2,3,4]
This study aimed at investigating the occurrence of the most common human enteric protozoa in non-human primate populations [13], namely Blastocystis spp., Cryptosporidium parvum, C. hominis, Cyclospora cayetanensis, Dientamoeba fragilis, Giardia intestinalis, Balantidium coli, Entamoeba histolytica and Cystoisospora belli, along with two microsporidia, namely Enterocytozoon bieneusi and Encephalitozoon intestinalis
This study was done to provide an update on the prevalence of the most frequently encountered human enteric protozoa in non-human primate populations based on qPCR detection

Summary

Introduction

Several enteric protozoa that can provoke zoonotic diseases are currently facilitated by and associated with the growing popularity of open farms and petting zoos, which are a possible source of outbreaks and transmission to humans [1,2,3,4]. This study aimed at investigating the occurrence of the most common human enteric protozoa in non-human primate populations [13], namely Blastocystis spp., Cryptosporidium parvum, C. hominis, Cyclospora cayetanensis, Dientamoeba fragilis, Giardia intestinalis, Balantidium coli, Entamoeba histolytica and Cystoisospora belli, along with two microsporidia, namely Enterocytozoon bieneusi and Encephalitozoon intestinalis. These pathogens, which have been previously identified as the most frequent human parasites [13], lead to human diseases ranging from chronic intestinal colonization with abdominal discomfort and sporadic diarrhea to severe enteric disorders. This study was done to provide an update on the prevalence of the most frequently encountered human enteric protozoa in non-human primate populations based on qPCR detection

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