Abstract
BackgroundIn Brazil, two species of Plasmodium have been described infecting non-human primates, Plasmodium brasilianum and Plasmodium simium. These species are morphologically, genetically and immunologically indistinguishable from the human Plasmodium malariae and Plasmodium vivax parasites, respectively. Plasmodium simium has been observed naturally infecting monkeys of the genera Alouatta and Brachyteles in a restricted area of the Atlantic Forest in the south and southeast regions of Brazil. However, its reported geographical distribution and the diversity of its vertebrate hosts may be underestimated, since available data were largely based on analyses by microscopic examination of peripheral blood, a method with limited sensitivity, considering the potential sub-patent feature of these infections. The present study describes, for the first time, the natural infection of P. simium in capuchin monkeys from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest.MethodsBlood samples from 30 non-human primates belonging to nine species kept in the Primate Centre of Rio de Janeiro were collected. Fragments of spleen and liver from one dead monkey found in the neighborhoods of the Primate Centre were also analysed. Molecular diagnosis was performed by nested PCR (18SSU rRNA) and the amplified fragment was sequenced.ResultsThirty per cent of the captive animals were infected with P. simium and/or P. brasilianum. The dead monkey tested positive for DNA of P. simium. For the first time, Cebinae primates (two specimens of genus Cebus and two of genus Sapajos) were found naturally infected by P. simium. The infection was confirmed by sequencing a small fragment of 18SSU rRNA.ConclusionThe results highlight the possibility of infection by P. simium in other species of non-human primates whose impact could be significant for the malaria epidemiology among non-human primates and, if it becomes clear that this P. simium is able to infect monkeys and, eventually, man, also for the maintenance of transmission of human malaria in the context of a zoonosis in areas under influence of the Atlantic Forest.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12936-015-0606-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
In Brazil, two species of Plasmodium have been described infecting non-human primates, Plasmodium brasilianum and Plasmodium simium
Molecular diagnosis was performed in samples from 30 non-human primates from the CPRJ, and nine samples (30%) were found to be positive by nested-PCR: five samples were positive for P. brasilianum; three samples were positive for P. simium and one sample was positive for both P. simium and P. brasilianum (Figure 2)
Plasmodium simium was identified in Sapajus xanthosternos, Sapajus robustus and Cebus sp.; and P. brasilianum was detected in Sapajus xanthosternos, Sapajus robustus, Callicebus personatus, Aotus nigriceps and Alouatta g. clamitans
Summary
In Brazil, two species of Plasmodium have been described infecting non-human primates, Plasmodium brasilianum and Plasmodium simium These species are morphologically, genetically and immunologically indistinguishable from the human Plasmodium malariae and Plasmodium vivax parasites, respectively. Plasmodium simium has been observed naturally infecting monkeys of the genera Alouatta and Brachyteles in a restricted area of the Atlantic Forest in the south and southeast regions of Brazil. In Brazil, a country that holds the largest species diversified simian fauna of the planet, only two simian Plasmodium species have been found infecting non-human primates: Plasmodium brasilianum and Plasmodium simium These species are morphologically, genetically and immunologically indistinguishable from the human malaria parasites Plasmodium malariae and Plasmodium vivax, respectively [8,9,10,11]. Given to the great diversity of primates in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest it is expected that, with the use of more sensitive diagnostic methods, the determination of the real rate of infection in monkeys and, eventually, the expansion of the list of potential hosts would be possible
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