The global mammal parasite database: An online resource for infectious disease records in wild primates

Abstract

Natural populations of primates host an amazing diversity of parasites and infectious diseases, many of which are endemic in natural populations. These include a tremendous variety of intestinal nematodes, protozoa and bacteria, sexually transmitted viruses such as simian immunodeficiency virus, and vector-borne diseases such as malaria and yellow fever. More recently, infectious disease epidemics have become a major conservation concern, with outbreaks of Ebola hemorrhagic fever and anthrax decimating populations of African apes,1,2 possibly through spillover from unknown reservoir hosts and domesticated animals. Primates themselves can serve as sources of new emerging diseases in humans.35 Finally, parasites have driven the evolution of a wide variety of behaviors observed in primates, ranging from the consumption of medicinal plants6 to fly-swatting and other behaviors aimed at reducing contact with bot flies and insect vectors of disease.7,8 Ecological and evolutionary pressures operating on primate mating and social systems could also arise from processes driven by infectious diseases.9,10 Understanding the diversity, spread, and evolution of parasites in wild primates is therefore important for a wide variety of topics involving primate conservation, behavioral ecology, and human health.