Opportunities for respiratory disease transmission from people to chimpanzees at an East African tourism site.
Am J Primatol
; 83(2): e23228, 2021 02.
Artículo
en Inglés
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1060243
ABSTRACT
Respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19, present a serious threat to endangered wild chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) populations. In some parts of sub-Saharan Africa, chimpanzee tracking is a popular tourism activity, offering visitors a chance to view apes in their natural habitats. Chimpanzee tourism is an important source of revenue and thus benefits conservation; however, chimpanzee tracking may also increase the risk of disease transmission from people to chimpanzees directly (e.g., via aerosol transmission) or indirectly (e.g., through the environment or via fomites). This study assessed how tourist behaviors might facilitate respiratory disease transmission at a chimpanzee tracking site in Kibale National Park, Uganda. We observed tourists, guides, and student interns from the time they entered the forest to view the chimpanzees until they left the forest and noted behaviors related to disease transmission. Common behaviors included coughing, sneezing, and urinating, which respectively occurred during 88.1%, 65.4%, and 36.6% of excursions. Per excursion, individuals touched their faces an average of 125.84 ± 34.45 times and touched large tree trunks or branches (which chimpanzees might subsequently touch) an average of 230.14 ± 108.66 times. These results show that many pathways exist by which pathogens might move from humans to chimpanzees in the context of tourism. Guidelines for minimizing the risk of such transmission should consider tourist behavior and the full range of modes by which pathogen transmission might occur between tourists and chimpanzees.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
Disponible
Colección:
Bases de datos internacionales
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Enfermedades Respiratorias
/
Pan troglodytes
/
Enfermedades del Simio Antropoideo
/
Turismo
/
SARS-CoV-2
/
COVID-19
Tipo de estudio:
Estudio pronóstico
Límite:
Animales
/
Humanos
País/Región como asunto:
Africa
Idioma:
Inglés
Revista:
Am J Primatol
Año:
2021
Tipo del documento:
Artículo
País de afiliación:
Ajp.23228
Similares
MEDLINE
...
LILACS
LIS