The presence of Cryptosporidium oocysts in stools of clinically diarrhoeic and normal nonhuman primates in Kenya

Abstract

A total of 114 nonhuman primates comprising 51 vervet monkeys ( Cercopithecus aethiops) and 63 olive baboons ( Papio anubis) were examined for Cryptosporidium oocysts using the modified Kinyoun's acid-fast staining technique. About 51.7% ( 59 114 ) of all the specimens examined, representing 78.4% ( 40 51 ) of the vervet monkeys and 30.1% ( 19 63 ) of the olive baboons were positive. Bright red, refractile Cryptosporidium oocysts were observed in the stained faecal smears against a blue background. Up to 4 6 (66.7%) of the diarrhoeic vervets and 2 3 (66.7%) baboons, respectively, were positive while the rest were negative. To the best of our knowledge, this report is the first on cryptosporidiosis in old world nonhuman primates in Kenya and probably the first report of the infection in olve baboons. Given the high frequency of oocysts in diarrhoeal specimens, the parasite may have been associated with clinical diarrhoea in the sampled animals. Cryptosporidium, which has been reported in humans in Kenya, is also suspected to occur in livestock. Its isolation from clinically ill, normal colony-borne and newly caught feral nonhuman primates has significant implications for both public health and animal agriculture in Kenya.