Plasmodium infection and its association with biochemical and haematological parameters in free-living Alouatta guariba clamitans (Cabrera, 1940) (Primates: Atelidae) in Southern Brazil

BACKGROUND The influence of Plasmodium spp. infection in the health of Southern brown howler monkey, Alouatta guariba clamitans, the main reservoir of malaria in the Atlantic Forest, is still unknown. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to investigate the positivity rate of Plasmodium infection in free-living howler monkeys in an Atlantic Forest fragment in Joinville/SC and to associate the infection with clinical, morphometrical, haematological and biochemical alterations. METHODS Molecular diagnosis of Plasmodium infection in the captured monkeys was performed by Nested-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (18S rRNA and coxI). Haematological and biochemical parameters were compared among infected and uninfected monkeys; clinical and morphometrical parameters were also compared. FINDINGS The positivity rate of Plasmodium infection was 70% among forty captured animals, the highest reported for neotropical primates. None statistical differences were detected in the clinical parameters, and morphometric measures comparing infected and uninfected groups. The main significant alteration was the higher alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels in infected compared to uninfected monkeys. MAIN CONCLUSIONS Therefore, Plasmodium infection in howler monkeys may causes haematological/biochemical alterations which might suggest hepatic impairment. Moreover, infection must be monitored for the eco-epidemiological surveillance of malaria in the Atlantic Forest and during primate conservation program that involves the animal movement, such as translocations.

Distribución geográfica del mono aullador rojo ( Alouatta seniculus) y la fiebre amarilla en Colombia / Geographical distribution of the red howler monkey ( Alouatta seniculus ) and yellow fever in Colombia

Introducción. Colombia es un país con gran diversidad de primates no humanos, entre los cuales se destaca el mono aullador rojo ( Alouatta seniculus ) por su distribución y el papel que desempeña en la presentación de la fiebre amarilla. Objetivo. Describir la coincidencia geográfica del hábitat del mono aullador rojo y la presencia de fiebre amarilla. Materiales y métodos. Se hizo un estudio de carácter descriptivo. Los antecedentes de la fiebre amarilla en Colombia se obtuvieron de los informes y boletines del Instituto Nacional de Salud y del estudio de 2013 de Segura, et al. La presencia de A. seniculus se determinó con base en la plataforma Global Biodiversity Information Facility y el Sistema de Información sobre Biodiversidad de Colombia; los mapas se elaboraron con el programa Diva-Gis, y el modelo de nicho ecológico bajo las condiciones actuales, con el programa Maxent. Resultados. Los departamentos con mayor presencia de A. seniculus fueron Antioquia, Meta y Casanare; en 69,5 % de los departamentos con antecedentes de notificación de fiebre amarilla también había A. seniculus. El modelo de nicho ecológico evidenció que Antioquia, Bolívar, La Guajira, Magdalena, Meta, Santander, Norte de Santander y Vichada tenían porciones de territorio con un índice de probabilidad cercano a 0,9 (90 %). Conclusiones. En 69,5 % de los departamentos con antecedentes de fiebre amarilla se registró la presencia de A. seniculus , lo cual resulta relevante por el papel que los primates no humanos desempeñan como reservorio natural del virus y por su contribución en la presentación de la fiebre amarilla, lo cual les confiere gran utilidad como centinelas.

Introduction: Colombia is a country with an important diversity of non-human primates, of which the red howler monkey ( Alouatta seniculus ) stands out because of its distribution and the role it plays in the occurrence of yellow fever. Objective: To describe the geographic co-occurrence of Alouatta seniculus and the reported presence of yellow fever. Materials and methods: We conducted a descriptive study. The reported presence of yellow fever in Colombia was obtained from the reports and bulletins issued by the Instituto Nacional de Salud , and the study by Segura, et al . (2013). The occurrence of A. seniculus was determined based on the data from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and the Colombian Biodiversity Information System. A map of the occurrence was developed using the DIVA-GIS program, and the ecological niche model under current conditions was created with the Maxent program. Results: The departments with the highest occurrence of A. seniculus were Antioquia, Meta and Casanare; 69.5% of the departments with reported history of yellow fever had co-occurrence with A. seniculus . The ecological niche model showed that Antioquia, Bolívar, La Guajira, Magdalena, Meta, Santander, Norte de Santander and Vichada had geographical portions with a probability rate nearing to 0.9 (90%). Conclusions: In 69.5% of the departments with a history of yellow fever there was co-occurrence with A. seniculus , which is relevant because non-human primates play a well-known role as natural reservoirs of the virus, and they might contribute to the occurrence of the yellow fever, which makes them very useful as sentinels.