Diagnostics and Epidemiology of InfectiousAgents in Mountain Gorillas.

modeling;zoonoses;Gorilla;epidemiology;diagnostics;infectious disease

Whittier, Christopher Alan ; Ronald R. Sederoff, Committee Member,Michael K. Stoskopf, Committee Co-Chair,Michael R. Loomis, Committee Member,Barrett D. Slenning, Committee Co-Chair,Whittier, Christopher Alan ; Ronald R. Sederoff ; Committee Member ; Michael K. Stoskopf ; Committee Co-Chair ; Michael R. Loomis ; Committee Member ; Barrett D. Slenning ; Committee Co-Chair

University:North Carolina State University

关键词: modeling;    zoonoses;    Gorilla;    epidemiology;    diagnostics;    infectious disease;   

Others  :  https://repository.lib.ncsu.edu/bitstream/handle/1840.16/6215/etd.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

美国|英语

来源: null

【 摘 要 】

ABSTRACTWHITTIER, CHRISTOPHER ALAN. Diagnostics and Epidemiology of InfectiousAgents in Mountain Gorillas. (Under the direction of Michael K. Stoskopf andBarrett D. Slenning)Infectious diseases are one of the major threats to remaining populationsof free-ranging great apes. Infections from humans are a particular concernbecause of increasing contact between apes and human researchers, tourists, andlocal communities. This study advances our understanding of infectious diseaserisks to free-ranging mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) by developingand utilizing improved noninvasive diagnostics to survey wild gorillas;performing serosurveys of gorillas and locally confiscated primates to identifyexposure patterns; and designing a disease transmission model to better evaluateand predict pathogen spread and epidemic outcomes in the mountain gorillapopulation.The risk from human and any other infections to wild apes is difficult toquantify partly because of limited diagnostic sampling. Sample collection is oftenrestricted by the challenges of sampling free-ranging apes, while sample analysiscan be constrained by storage and shipping protocols that often require fresh orfrozen samples. This study expands diagnostic capabilities by showing that noninvasivelycollected gorilla fecal samples can be stored in guanidineisothiocyanate solution at room temperature for 6 months and allow diagnosticdetection of rotavirus RNA by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Additionally itdemonstrates that advanced molecular diagnostics using real-time PCRtechnology can be performed directly in the field thereby bypassing the need forsample preservation and shipping. This study used a portable real-time PCRinstrument to detect an 87% prevalence of a Campylobacter spp. in 157 fecalsamples, and to further reveal that this gorilla Campylobacter spp. appears to bea novel isolate.Using opportunistically collected blood samples, free-ranging mountaingorillas (N=57) are shown to be exposed to 19 of 37 pathogens assayed includingmany that are prevalent in local human populations. Evidence of exposure fromlocal human populations is further confirmed by a companion survey of 32confiscated gorillas and other nonhuman primates that documented cases ofseroconversion associated with captivity and in some cases with only humancontact, in 2 subspecies of gorillas and three species of other primates.The infectious disease outbreak model developed in this studydemonstrated the importance of modeling the mountain gorilla population as arealistic network of interconnected groups. The model shows that, in the absenceof humans, the known low gorilla intergroup contact rates severely restrict thespread of infection between gorilla groups. More significantly, the modelsuggests that even a small group of regular human visitors with limited gorillacontact can facilitate the spread of infections between gorilla groups and therebyincrease gorilla population outbreak levels.