We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Wild bonobos host geographically restricted malaria parasites including a putative new Laverania species.
- Authors
Weimin Liu; Sherrill-Mix, Scott; Learn, Gerald H.; Scully, Erik J.; Yingying Li; Avitto, Alexa N.; Loy, Dorothy E.; Lauder, Abigail P.; Sundararaman, Sesh A.; Plenderleith, Lindsey J.; Ndjango, Jean-Bosco N.; Georgiev, Alexander V.; Ahuka-Mundeke, Steve; Peeters, Martine; Bertolani, Paco; Dupain, Jef; Garai, Cintia; Hart, John A.; Hart, Terese B.; Shaw, George M.
- Abstract
Malaria parasites, though widespread among wild chimpanzees and gorillas, have not been detected in bonobos. Here, we show that wild-living bonobos are endemically Plasmodium infected in the eastern-most part of their range. Testing 1556 faecal samples from 11 field sites, we identify high prevalence Laverania infections in the Tshuapa-Lomami-Lualaba (TL2) area, but not at other locations across the Congo. TL2 bonobos harbour P. gaboni, formerly only found in chimpanzees, as well as a potential new species, Plasmodium lomamiensis sp. nov. Rare co-infections with non-Laverania parasites were also observed. Phylogenetic relationships among Laverania species are consistent with co-divergence with their gorilla, chimpanzee and bonobo hosts, suggesting a timescale for their evolution. The absence of Plasmodium from most field sites could not be explained by parasite seasonality, nor by bonobo population structure, diet or gut microbiota. Thus, the geographic restriction of bonobo Plasmodium reflects still unidentified factors that likely influence parasite transmission.
- Subjects
BONOBO; PLASMODIUM; GUT microbiome; DISEASE prevalence; CHIMPANZEES
- Publication
Nature Communications, 2017, Vol 8, Issue 1, p1
- ISSN
2041-1723
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1038/s41467-017-01798-5