As the human population around the world focuses on clear-cutting, logging, and the general destruction and deforestation of natural habitats globally; there’s a greater risk that humans will start to come in contact with wildlife that have been displaced from the ecosystems that they call home. The potential for closer contact has lead scientists to study the potentially harmful effects, with a particular focus on disease transmission.
Of course, the motivations for taking a closer look at the diseases carried by some species have a human interest; but nonetheless, this particular study has lead to a greater understanding of diseases carried by primates and the result is that many apes and gorillas in the wild and captivity carry a parasite responsible for malignant malaria.
Until now, it’s been believed that humans alone can carry this malignant disease, and this is the first evidence that it can exist amongst the animal population. Fecal and blood samples from primates in Cameroon, Gabon and other locations were studied to make this determination.
While samples prove that the parasite appears predominantly in wild gorillas, there were some positive samples in those in captivity. Currently, there’s little information about how the disease spreads and if it can in fact be transmitted between species – such as human to gorilla or vice versa.The irony here is that this study was conducted to see if any diseases could be spread from wild animals to humans that are in close proximity (also due to human environmental destruction); but there is a chance that the malignant malaria parasite came to the primate population from humans.
Although some focus should be put upon protecting the human population, naturally; it’s essential that a greater understanding of the potential causes and repercussions upon the global primate population is obtained for the sake of species survival.
Image Via: Flickr User Mark McLaughlin with a Creative Commons License
Environments that have sustained myriads of species for thousands of years will be left barren after a decade of man finding short term profit in them.
Sadly, humanity – our collective – is a revolting force of evil.
Certainly looks that way Doggift, but there are lots of ‘em doing what they can about it – bless ‘em. Some days you might just as well not bother – but you do !!
Is “malignant Malaria” worse than Malaria ?
From everything I’ve found malignant malaria and malaria are interchangeable terms – there doesn’t seem to be a clear difference
Dog Gift, yup, unfortunately too many humans look to their own survival (and typically from a financial perspective) and too many are only worried about the environmental issues because of its effects upon them. Case in point.