Abstract
Diarrheal viruses are amongst one of the most common causes of
morbidity in humans in developing countries; however, they have
seldom been studied in wild non-human primates (NHPs). Due to a
similar evolutionary history between humans and NHPs, as well as
the increasing proximity of human populations to shrinking NHP
territories, an understanding of NHP disease has the potential to
inform decision-making for primate conservation and human health.
In the first study to examine diarrheal viruses in wild lemur taxa,
we screened individual lemurs for adenovirus, enterovirus,
rotavirus, and norovirus (genogroups GI and GII), which are found
in human populations in Madagascar. Eighty-four fecal samples were
non-invasively collected from the seven dominant species of lemurs
of Ranomafana National Park (RNP), Madagascar, during the 2011 and
2012 dry seasons (May-August). Of the seven taxa tested, all were
infected with one or more diarrheal viruses. Norovirus GII, the
most commonly exhibited virus, was found in 26.7% of individuals,
followed by adenovirus in 25%. Because these viruses are
transmitted via the fecal-oral route, we associated lemur dietary
habits with infection rates and found that individuals with more
terrestrial feeding patterns had lower viral loads than more
arboreal feeding species. Given the nature of transmission of these
viruses, changes in prevalence patterns will likely differ in the
rainy season. Transmission of these viruses from humans to lemurs
poses a serious risk for these already endangered species, while
transmission from lemurs to humans may represent a health risk for
tourists and local inhabitants. Future sequence-based approaches
will help to resolve the zoonotic potential of the viruses
recovered from lemurs.
Table of Contents
Introduction...1
Methods...13
Results...22
Discussion...27
Tables...32
Figures...37
Literature Cited...41
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