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Open AccessFeature PaperArticle
Gastrointestinal Parasites in Non-Human Primates in Zoological Gardens in Northern Italy
by
Erica Marchiori
Erica Marchiori 1,
Lucia Bono
Lucia Bono 2,
Laura Voltan
Laura Voltan 3,
Giorgia Dotto
Giorgia Dotto 1,
Cinzia Tessarin
Cinzia Tessarin 1 and
Federica Marcer
Federica Marcer 1,*
1
Department of Animal Medicine, Production and Health, University of Padova, viale dell’Università 16, 35020 Legnaro, Italy
2
Parco Faunistico Cappeller, Via Kimle, 12, 36050 Cartigliano, Italy
3
Parco Faunistico Valcorba, via Val Corba 18, 35020 Pozzonovo, Italy
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Animals 2024, 14(17), 2607; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14172607 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 6 August 2024
/
Revised: 3 September 2024
/
Accepted: 4 September 2024
/
Published: 7 September 2024
Simple Summary
Non-human primates, due to their close taxonomic relationship with humans, host the highest diversity of parasites with zoonotic potential. In zoological gardens, the presence of helminths and protist parasites with a direct lifecycle is virtually unavoidable; biosecurity measures are of the utmost importance to control their spread and environmental load and avoid transmission to staff and visitors. In this study, we investigated the population of non-human primates in two zoos in Northern Italy to evaluate gastrointestinal parasite diversity and their zoonotic potential. The highest prevalence was registered for protist taxa, i.e., Giardia and Blastocystis. Proof for the transmission of parasites from synanthropic rats to the animals in the collection was also provided.
Abstract
Non-human primates (NHPs) host a variety of helminth and protist parasites that are able to cause infection in humans. Gastrointestinal parasites in NHPs living in two zoological gardens of Northern Italy were studied. An total of 96 faecal pools were collected from 26 groups of NHPs. The mini-Flotac method was applied to fecal samples to detect gastrointestinal helminthiases, while the detection of the protists Cryptosporidium spp., Blastocystis sp. and Giardia duodenalis was performed by targeting SSU rRNA through nested PCR and real-time PCR; they were further studied by sequencing the same gene for Blastocystis and βgiardine and triosephosphate isomerase (TPI) genes for Giardia. Twenty-two out of the 96 examined fecal pools (22.9%) were positive for one or more helminth species, including Hymenolepis diminuta, Trichurid, Capillariid and Strongylid eggs. All samples were negative for Cryptosporidium spp., while 16/26 (61.5%) animals were positive for G. duodenalis in the real-time PCR; the sequences obtained assigned them all to sub-assemblage BIV. Blastocystis sp. was detected in 22/26 of the NHPs (84.6%); molecular analyses attributed the isolates to ST 4, allele 92. Analyses of the feces of sympatric rats revealed the presence of the same allele, as well as of Hymenolepis diminuta eggs, raising concern about their role as parasite reservoirs in the facilities.
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MDPI and ACS Style
Marchiori, E.; Bono, L.; Voltan, L.; Dotto, G.; Tessarin, C.; Marcer, F.
Gastrointestinal Parasites in Non-Human Primates in Zoological Gardens in Northern Italy. Animals 2024, 14, 2607.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14172607
AMA Style
Marchiori E, Bono L, Voltan L, Dotto G, Tessarin C, Marcer F.
Gastrointestinal Parasites in Non-Human Primates in Zoological Gardens in Northern Italy. Animals. 2024; 14(17):2607.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14172607
Chicago/Turabian Style
Marchiori, Erica, Lucia Bono, Laura Voltan, Giorgia Dotto, Cinzia Tessarin, and Federica Marcer.
2024. "Gastrointestinal Parasites in Non-Human Primates in Zoological Gardens in Northern Italy" Animals 14, no. 17: 2607.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14172607
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