article · Nature Communications
Wild bonobos in the eastern-most part of their range harbour malaria parasites, despite earlier assumptions that the species was free of such infections. An analysis of 1556 faecal samples collected across 11 field sites in the Congo identified high-prevalence Laverania infections exclusively in the Tshuapa-Lomami-Lualaba area. Bonobos in this location carry Plasmodium gaboni, previously identified only in chimpanzees, as well as a putative novel species named Plasmodium lomamiensis. Infrequent co-infections with non-Laverania parasites were also found. Evolutionary reconstructions indicate that Laverania parasites co-diverged with gorillas, chimpanzees, and bonobos. Because the absence of Plasmodium at other locations cannot be explained by seasonality, host population genetics, diet, or gut microbiota, unidentified factors appear to limit parasite transmission to this specific geographic zone.
Identifying malaria in wild bonobos changes scientific understanding of how malaria parasites evolved alongside African great apes. Pinpointing the unidentified factors that restrict these parasites to a single geographic area could offer broader insights into the environmental, ecological, and biological drivers that govern malaria transmission across primate populations.
The abstract does not indicate a direct commercialisation pathway. As early-stage basic research in parasitology and ecology, these insights into ape reservoirs and transmission barriers may eventually guide surveillance programmes conducted by conservation bodies and public health organisations, but practical applications remain distant.
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Malaria parasites, though widespread among wild chimpanzees and gorillas, have not been detected in bonobos. Here, we show that wild-living bonobos are endemically Plasmodium infected in the eastern-most part of their range. Testing 1556 faecal samples from 11 field sites, we identify high prevalence Laverania infections in the Tshuapa-Lomami-Lualaba (TL2) area, but not at other locations across the Congo. TL2 bonobos harbour P. gaboni, formerly only found in chimpanzees, as well as a potential new species, Plasmodium lomamiensis sp. nov. Rare co-infections with non-Laverania parasites were also observed. Phylogenetic relationships among Laverania species are consistent with co-divergence with their gorilla, chimpanzee and bonobo hosts, suggesting a timescale for their evolution. The absence of Plasmodium from most field sites could not be explained by parasite seasonality, nor by bonobo population structure, diet or gut microbiota. Thus, the geographic restriction of bonobo Plasmodium reflects still unidentified factors that likely influence parasite transmission.
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-01798-5
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