BACKGROUND: Zoonotic diseases are a serious threat to both public health and animal conservation. Most non-human primates (NHP) are facing the threat of forest loss and fragmentation and are increasingly living in closer spatial proximity to humans. Humans are infected with soil-transmitted helminths (STH) at a high prevalence, and bidirectional infection with NHP has been observed. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence, genetic diversity, distribution and presence of co-infections of STH in free-ranging gorillas, chimpanzees and other NHP species, and to determine the potential role of these NHP as reservoir hosts contributing to the environmental sustenance of zoonotic nematode infections in forested areas of Cameroon and Gabon. METHODS: A total of 315 faecal samples from six species of NHPs were analysed. We performed PCR amplification, sequencing and maximum likelihood analysis of DNA fragments of the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) nuclear ribosomal DNA to detect the presence and determine the genetic diversity of Oesophagostomum spp., Necator spp. and Trichuris spp., and of targeted DNA fragments of the internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) to detect the presence of Ascaris spp. RESULTS: Necator spp. infections were most common in gorillas (35 of 65 individuals), but also present in chimpanzees (100 of 222 individuals) and in one of four samples from greater spot-nosed monkeys. These clustered with previously described type II and III Necator spp. Gorillas were also the most infected NHP with Oesophagostomum (51/65 individuals), followed by chimpanzees (157/222 individuals), mandrills (8/12 samples) and mangabeys (7/12 samples), with O. stephanostomum being the most prevalent species. Oesophagostomum bifurcum was detected in chimpanzees and a red-capped mangabey, and a non-classified Oesophagostomum species was detected in a mandrill and a red-capped mangabey. In addition, Ternidens deminutus was detected in samples from one chimpanzee and three greater spot-nosed monkeys. A significant relative overabundance of co-infections with Necator and Oesophagostomum was observed in chimpanzees and gorillas. Trichuris sp. was detected at low prevalence in a gorilla, a chimpanzee and a greater spot-nosed monkey. No Ascaris was observed in any of the samples analysed. CONCLUSIONS: Our results on STH prevalence and genetic diversity in NHP from Cameroon and Gabon corroborate those obtained from other wild NHP populations in other African countries. Future research should focus on better identifying, at a molecular level, the species of Necator and Oesophagostomum infecting NHP and determining how human populations may be affected by increased proximity resulting from encroachment into sylvatic STH reservoir habitats.
- Keywords
- Africa, Faeces, Non-human primate, Phylogeny, Soil-transmitted helminths, Zoonosis,
- MeSH
- Helminths classification genetics isolation & purification MeSH
- Animals, Wild parasitology MeSH
- DNA, Helminth genetics MeSH
- Feces parasitology MeSH
- Helminthiasis, Animal epidemiology transmission MeSH
- Primates classification parasitology MeSH
- Soil parasitology MeSH
- Zoonoses epidemiology parasitology transmission MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Check Tag
- Male MeSH
- Female MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Geographicals
- Gabon epidemiology MeSH
- Cameroon epidemiology MeSH
- Names of Substances
- DNA, Helminth MeSH
- Soil MeSH
A new species of the rhynchocinetid genus Cinetorhynchus, C. gabonensis sp. n. from the Atlantic waters of Gabon, is described based on morphological and molecular comparisons and its distinctive colour pattern. This is the second known species of the genus in the eastern Atlantic, and the third species in the Atlantic as the whole. The new species is more closely related to the western Atlantic C. manningi, both having quadrispinose ambulatory dactyli (i.e. with unguis + 3 ventral spinules), but differs from the latter by the presence of an arthrobranch on the three anterior pereiopods (vs only on the first pereiopod in C. manningi). The branchial formula of the new species is consistent with most of the Indo-West Pacific congeners, and with the amphi-Atlantic C. rigens; the latter possessing trispinose ambulatory dactyli. Other distinctions of the new species from its congeners are in the carpal and meral spinulation of the ambulatory legs, and in the posterolateral and posteroventral armament of pleomeres IV and V. Cinetorhynchus gabonensis sp. n. differs from both known Atlantic congeners also by a specific colour pattern which is dense deep-red mottled with a pair of small white spots delineated by deep-red broad rings on the top of the third pleomere.
- Keywords
- Crustacea, Caridea, Cinetorhynchus manningi, Cinetorhynchus rigens, colour pattern, Gabon, taxonomy,
- MeSH
- Animal Structures MeSH
- Decapoda * MeSH
- Animal Distribution MeSH
- Beak * MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Check Tag
- Animals MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Geographicals
- Gabon MeSH
Biodiversity research in tropical ecosystems-popularized as the most biodiverse habitats on Earth-often neglects invertebrates, yet invertebrates represent the bulk of local species richness. Insect communities in particular remain strongly impeded by both Linnaean and Wallacean shortfalls, and identifying species often remains a formidable challenge inhibiting the use of these organisms as indicators for ecological and conservation studies. Here we use DNA barcoding as an alternative to the traditional taxonomic approach for characterizing and comparing the diversity of moth communities in two different ecosystems in Gabon. Though sampling remains very incomplete, as evidenced by the high proportion (59%) of species represented by singletons, our results reveal an outstanding diversity. With about 3500 specimens sequenced and representing 1385 BINs (Barcode Index Numbers, used as a proxy to species) in 23 families, the diversity of moths in the two sites sampled is higher than the current number of species listed for the entire country, highlighting the huge gap in biodiversity knowledge for this country. Both seasonal and spatial turnovers are strikingly high (18.3% of BINs shared between seasons, and 13.3% between sites) and draw attention to the need to account for these when running regional surveys. Our results also highlight the richness and singularity of savannah environments and emphasize the status of Central African ecosystems as hotspots of biodiversity.
- Keywords
- Afrique tropicale, DNA barcodes, Lepidoptera, codes-barres ADN, community ecology, déficit taxonomique, lépidoptères, taxonomic deficit, tropical Africa, écologie des communautés,
- MeSH
- Biodiversity * MeSH
- DNA analysis genetics MeSH
- Ecosystem MeSH
- Moths classification genetics MeSH
- DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic methods MeSH
- Tropical Climate * MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Check Tag
- Animals MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Comparative Study MeSH
- Geographicals
- Gabon MeSH
- Names of Substances
- DNA MeSH
Revised are Afrotropical species of the Craspedophorus strachani and C. brevicollis groups. New taxa are C. dicranulothorax n. sp. (Cameroon), C. lemariei n. sp. (Gabon), C. phenacoides n. sp. (Cameroon), C. ruficroides n. sp. (Guinea), C. cuneatus rotundatus n. ssp. (Cameroon, central Africa), C. ruficroides thomsoni n. ssp. (Cameroon, central Africa, Gabon), C. strachani bamendanus n. ssp. (Cameroon), C. tetrastigma morettoi n. ssp. (west Africa) and C. brevicollis beninensis n. ssp. (Benin). C. ruficrus (Laferté-Sénectere, 1851) and C. gabonicus (Thomson, 1858) are considered nomina dubia, because their original descriptions do not provide enough information to allow linking the names to any known specimens. To correct the situation, the authorship of C. ruficrus is ascribed to the first reviser, Chaudoir (1861) [as a valid name (sp. resurr.)], who designated a lectotype and provided an adequate redescription; the invalid name C. gabonicus (Thomson) sensu Chaudoir (1861) is synonymized with C. muata (Harold, 1883). The status of the following species is changed to subspecies: C. grossus (Hope, 1842) is demoted to ssp. of C. strachani (Hope, 1842), C. paromius Basilewsky, 1987 is demoted to ssp. of C. cuneatus (Alluaud, 1915) and C. milzi Duvivier, 1891 is demoted to ssp. of C. tetrastigma (Laferté). C. strachani depressus Burgeon, 1930 is synonymized with C. tetrastigma milzi Duvivier, 1891 and C. chevalieri jokoanus Basilewsky, 1987 is synonymized with C. chevalieri (Alluaud, 1915). C. strachani and C. brevicollis groups sensu Chaudoir 1879 are redefined. C. latemaculatus Alluaud, 1930 is removed from C. reflexus group Häckel 2016 and transferred to C. strachani group nov.
- Keywords
- Coleoptera, taxonomy, new species, new subspecies, Coleoptera, Carabidae, Craspedophorus, Afrotropical Region,
- MeSH
- Animal Structures MeSH
- Coleoptera * MeSH
- Animal Distribution MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Check Tag
- Animals MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Geographicals
- Benin MeSH
- Gabon MeSH
- Cameroon MeSH
- Africa, Western MeSH
Schistosomiasis affects millions of people across Africa. We detected eggs of Schistosoma mansoni in western lowland gorilla and central chimpanzee fecal samples in Loango National Park, Gabon. We analyzed nuclear and mitochondrial DNA, namely internal transcribed spacer and cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 fragments, and the resulting maximum likelihood phylogenetic analyses and haplotype network of the ITS and COI, respectively, showed that the samples from gorillas and chimpanzees clustered clearly within the S. mansoni clade. This is the first confirmed record of S. mansoni from Gabon, which urges surveillance in the area and prompts questions regarding the extent of zoonotic transmission and the clinical impact.
- MeSH
- Feces parasitology MeSH
- Phylogeny MeSH
- Gorilla gorilla parasitology MeSH
- Haplotypes MeSH
- DNA, Intergenic genetics MeSH
- DNA, Mitochondrial genetics MeSH
- Communicable Diseases, Emerging epidemiology veterinary MeSH
- Neglected Diseases epidemiology veterinary MeSH
- Pan troglodytes parasitology MeSH
- Protein Subunits MeSH
- Electron Transport Complex IV genetics MeSH
- Schistosoma mansoni genetics isolation & purification MeSH
- Schistosomiasis mansoni epidemiology veterinary MeSH
- Sequence Analysis, DNA MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Check Tag
- Animals MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Geographicals
- Gabon epidemiology MeSH
- Names of Substances
- DNA, Intergenic MeSH
- DNA, Mitochondrial MeSH
- Protein Subunits MeSH
- Electron Transport Complex IV MeSH
Termites and ants contribute more to animal biomass in tropical rain forests than any other single group and perform vital ecosystem functions. Although ants prey on termites, at the community level the linkage between these groups is poorly understood. Thus, assessing the distribution and specificity of ant termitophagy is of considerable interest. We describe an approach for quantifying ant-termite food webs by sequencing termite DNA (cytochrome c oxidase subunit II, COII) from ant guts and apply this to a soil-dwelling ant community from tropical rain forest in Gabon. We extracted DNA from 215 ants from 15 species. Of these, 17.2 % of individuals had termite DNA in their guts, with BLAST analysis confirming the identity of 34.1 % of these termites to family level or better. Although ant species varied in detection of termite DNA, ranging from 63 % (5/7; Camponotus sp. 1) to 0 % (0/7; Ponera sp. 1), there was no evidence (with small sample sizes) for heterogeneity in termite consumption across ant taxa, and no evidence for species-specific ant-termite predation. In all three ant species with identifiable termite DNA in multiple individuals, multiple termite species were represented. Furthermore, the two termite species that were detected on multiple occasions in ant guts were in both cases found in multiple ant species, suggesting that ant-termite food webs are not strongly compartmentalised. However, two ant species were found to consume only Anoplotermes-group termites, indicating possible predatory specialisation at a higher taxonomic level. Using a laboratory feeding test, we were able to detect termite COII sequences in ant guts up to 2 h after feeding, indicating that our method only detects recent feeding events. Our data provide tentative support for the hypothesis that unspecialised termite predation by ants is widespread and highlight the use of molecular approaches for future studies of ant-termite food webs.
- MeSH
- Rainforest MeSH
- Species Specificity MeSH
- Ecosystem MeSH
- Ants genetics physiology MeSH
- Isoptera genetics physiology MeSH
- DNA, Mitochondrial genetics MeSH
- Food Chain * MeSH
- Electron Transport Complex IV genetics isolation & purification MeSH
- Base Sequence MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Check Tag
- Animals MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
- Geographicals
- Gabon MeSH
- Names of Substances
- cytochrome C oxidase subunit II MeSH Browser
- DNA, Mitochondrial MeSH
- Electron Transport Complex IV MeSH
- MeSH
- History, 19th Century MeSH
- History, 20th Century MeSH
- Philosophy history MeSH
- Religious Missions history MeSH
- Hospitals history MeSH
- Famous Persons * MeSH
- Check Tag
- History, 19th Century MeSH
- History, 20th Century MeSH
- Publication type
- Biography MeSH
- Journal Article MeSH
- Historical Article MeSH
- Portrait MeSH
- Geographicals
- Gabon MeSH
- About
- Schweitzer, Albert
- MeSH
- History, 20th Century MeSH
- Check Tag
- History, 20th Century MeSH
- Publication type
- Biography MeSH
- Journal Article MeSH
- Historical Article MeSH
- Portrait MeSH
- Geographicals
- France MeSH
- Gabon MeSH
- About
- Schweitzer, A
- MeSH
- History, 20th Century MeSH
- Nuclear Warfare MeSH
- Psychiatry history MeSH
- Check Tag
- History, 20th Century MeSH
- Publication type
- English Abstract MeSH
- Biography MeSH
- Journal Article MeSH
- Historical Article MeSH
- Geographicals
- Czechoslovakia MeSH
- Gabon MeSH
- About
- Schweitzer, A
- Friedmann, R
- MeSH
- History, 20th Century MeSH
- Hospitals history MeSH
- Psychiatry history MeSH
- Check Tag
- History, 20th Century MeSH
- Publication type
- English Abstract MeSH
- Biography MeSH
- Journal Article MeSH
- Historical Article MeSH
- Geographicals
- Czechoslovakia MeSH
- Gabon MeSH
- About
- Friedmann, R
- Schweitzer, A
