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. 2020 Mar 11:2020:1083251.
doi: 10.1155/2020/1083251. eCollection 2020.

Zoonotic Gastrointestinal Parasites of Baboons (Papio anubis) in the Shai Hill Reserve in Ghana

John Asiedu Larbi  1 , Stephen Akyeampong  1 , Amina Abubakari  2 , Seth Offei Addo  1   3 , Dinah Okoto  1 , Henry Hanson  4
Affiliations

Zoonotic Gastrointestinal Parasites of Baboons (Papio anubis) in the Shai Hill Reserve in Ghana

John Asiedu Larbi et al. Biomed Res Int. .

Abstract

Several intestinal parasites of baboons are of zoonotic importance, especially where there is considerable interaction between the baboons and humans. The identification of gastrointestinal parasite infections of baboons (Papio anubis) was undertaken at the Shai Hills Reserve Resort, Ghana. A total of 51 faecal samples were collected randomly from individual baboons (51) and examined for cysts, eggs, and larvae of parasites of medical importance, using the direct saline smear and formol-ether concentration technique. The baboons were in 7 troops and were grouped into juveniles, subadults, and adults. The survey showed that 92% of the baboon samples examined were infected with at least one or more parasite(s) of medical importance. Hookworm had the highest prevalence of 38.39% followed by Ascaris lumbricoides (22.32%), whilst Diphyllobotrium latum recorded the lowest prevalence of 0.89%. Adults had the highest prevalence of A. lumbricoides (35.42%). Hookworm (47.92%) occurred most in the juveniles. This is the first report of intestinal parasitic infection in baboons within the Shai Hills Reserve. The results showed a high level of multiparasitism in the nonhuman primates, thus the need for possible interventions to maintain ecosystem health and control the infections as they may be a potential source of transmission to humans.

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Conflict of interest statement

Authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest with regards to the findings of this study.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Map of Ghana showing the location of the Shai Hill Reserve (source: https://www.googlemaps.com).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Overall prevalence of intestinal parasites in the various groups of baboons.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Prevalence of various intestinal parasites identified.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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