An international team of scientists has found that the anthrax pathogen - the bacterium Bacillus anthracis - can lead to the extinction of chimpanzees in Tai, the Ivory Coast National Park. The disease is not common in tropical rain forests, the researchers said. An article by specialists was published in the journal Nature, briefly described in a press release on the EurekAlert! Website.
Anthrax is common in the arid regions of Africa, killing people and livestock. However, scientists have discovered a previously unknown strain of bacteria (Bacillus cereus biovar anthracis), which caused the death of several chimpanzees in Tai. These same microbes have led to the deaths of gorillas, elephants and chimpanzees in Cameroon and the Central African Republic.
Scientists analyzed the spread of the pathogen in Côte d'Ivoire and its impact on wild animal populations. They studied bone and tissue samples from deceased mammals that had been collected over the past 28 years. They also examined the stomach contents of carrion flies that may have come into contact with anthrax-infected carcasses. This made it possible to determine the places in the national park and the species in which the pathogen is circulating.
It turned out that almost 40 percent of animal deaths in the national park are associated with anthrax. The pathogen has been found in several species of monkeys, duikers, mongooses and porcupines. The chimpanzees were hit hardest. Of the 55 dead individuals, 31 died due to B.anthracis. To save the primate population, the researchers said, it is necessary to find out the causes of the spread of the deadly bacteria. Since chimpanzees and humans are genetically close to each other, there is a risk that the new strain could be transmitted to humans.
