High diversity and sharing of strongylid nematodes in humans and great apes co-habiting an unprotected area in Cameroon

Research reveals significant overlap of strongylid nematode communities between humans and great apes (western lowland gorillas and central chimpanzees) in an unprotected area near Cameroon's Dja Faunal Reserve. Using high-throughput amplicon sequencing, scientists identified 65 strongylid ITS-2 variants, with great apes exhibiting higher diversity than humans. Shared infections included four Necator americanus variants, two N. gorillae variants, one Oesophagostomum stephanostomum, and a Trichostrongylus species, highlighting bidirectional parasite transmission facilitated by close spatial overlap outside protected zones. The study underscores the risks of increased human-wildlife contact, challenging assumptions about host specificity in pathogen dynamics.

Ilík, V., Kreisinger, J., Modrý, D., Schwarz, E. M., Tagg, N., Mbohli, D., Nkombou, I. C., Petrželková, K. J., & Pafčo, B. (2023). High diversity and sharing of strongylid nematodes in humans and great apes co-habiting an unprotected area in Cameroon. PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 17(8), e0011499. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0011499