Transmission dynamics of leprosy in a population of Critically Endangered Western chimpanzees in Cantanhez National Park, Guinea-Bissau
Lead Research Organisation:
UNIVERSITY OF EXETER
Department Name: Biosciences
Abstract
This project will evaluate the impact of an increasingly human-influenced landscape on the socioecology and disease dynamics of chimpanzee communities within Cantanhez NP. By integrating observational data (including camera trap footage) with non-invasive genetic analysis across four chimpanzee communities this project will evaluate the current impact of anthropogenic disturbance and habitat isolation on chimpanzee community size, structure, dispersal and relatedness structure in the population, and predict the potential for the inter-community spread of disease.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Kimberley Hockings (Primary Supervisor) | |
| Marina Ramon Gorina (Student) |
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NE/S007504/1 | 01/10/2019 | 30/11/2027 | |||
| 2239666 | Studentship | NE/S007504/1 | 01/10/2019 | 15/04/2024 | Marina Ramon Gorina |
| Description | Leprosy has been reported in wild chimpanzees for the first time. It had never been reported in wild animals in Africa until now. We confirmed cases of this infectious disease in Cantanhez National Park, Guinea-Bissau. The monitoring of this populations revealed the progression of leprosy-like symptoms, and screening of faecal samples confirmed the presence of Mycobacterium leprae as the causative agent. Our findings suggest that M. leprae may be present in more wild animals than suspected, either as a result of exposure to humans or other unknown environmental sources. This study unlocks a new step toward the understanding of the disease transmission in endemic countries. The present project aims to shed light on the transmission dynamics of this disease among chimpanzees. |
| Exploitation Route | The outcomes of this project might be used by conservationists. Infectious diseases are one of the major causes of western chimpanzee population decline and a main conservation threat. Our results might highlight the need for long-term health monitoring and research to determine the scale and effects of leprosy among critically endangered western chimpanzees across the region. The outcomes might also be relevant for public health workers in leprosy endemic countries. Despite zoonotic transmission of leprosy appears to be low risk and localised, it needs to be considered as a potential route of infection that can hamper leprosy eradication. Wildlife health monitoring, within a One Health approach, could be used in other sites to understand and tackle zoonotic infectious diseases. |
| Sectors | Environment,Healthcare |
| Description | Blog post |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Blog entry (Consciece blog - Conservation Science hub at University of Exeter) to report the findings published in Nature (Hockings et al., 2021), how this research started and what are our future research goals. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.consciexeter.org/post/reporting-leprosy-in-wild-chimpanzees |
| Description | Interview for local newspaper |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | I was asked about the recent paper published on leprosy in wild chimpanzees (Hockings et al., 2021). The interview was published on-line and also in print (local newspaper). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://el9nou.cat/valles-oriental/actualitat/estudiant-la-lepra-als-ximpanzes/ |
| Description | Interview for news (Catalan public television) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | I was interviewed about the recent publication I co-authored (Hockings et al., 2021). The interview was broadcasted on the evening news of Televisio de Catalunya (public television in Catalonia region, Spain) and was also made available on-line. This interview allowed me to disseminate the results to a general audience. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.ccma.cat/324/els-ximpanzes-en-perill-dextincio-tambe-pateixen-lepra/noticia/3129612/ |