BACKGROUND: Although a high genetic diversity of Plasmodium spp. circulating in great apes has been revealed recently due to non-invasive methods enabling detection in faecal samples, little is known about the actual mechanisms underlying the presence of Plasmodium DNA in faeces. Great apes are commonly infected by strongylid nematodes, including hookworms, which cause intestinal bleeding. The impact of strongylid infections on the detection of Plasmodium DNA in faeces was assessed in wild, western, lowland gorillas from Dzanga Sangha Protected Areas, Central African Republic and eastern chimpanzees from Kalinzu Forest Reserve, Uganda. METHODS: Fifty-one faecal samples from 22 habituated gorillas and 74 samples from 15 habituated chimpanzees were analysed using Cytochrome-b PCR assay and coprological methods. RESULTS: Overall, 26.4% of the analysed samples were positive for both Plasmodium spp. and strongylids. However, the results showed no significant impact of intensity of infections of strongylids on detection of Plasmodium DNA in gorilla and chimpanzee faeces. CONCLUSION: Bleeding caused by strongylid nematode Necator spp. cannot explain the presence of Plasmodium DNA in ape faeces.

• Klíčová slova
• Co-infection, Eastern chimpanzee, Faeces, Malaria, Necator spp., Plasmodium spp., Strongylid, Western lowland gorilla,
• MeSH
• Ancylostoma fyziologie   MeSH
• ankylostomóza parazitologie   MeSH
• feces chemie   MeSH
• Gorilla gorilla * MeSH
• malárie epidemiologie   parazitologie   veterinární   MeSH
• Necator fyziologie   MeSH
• nekatoriáza parazitologie   MeSH
• nemoci lidoopů epidemiologie   parazitologie   MeSH
• Pan troglodytes * MeSH
• Plasmodium izolace a purifikace   MeSH
• protozoální DNA analýza   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Středoafrická republika epidemiologie   MeSH
• Uganda epidemiologie   MeSH
• Názvy látek
• protozoální DNA MeSH