Gastrointestinal parasite prevalence, diversity and association in free-ranging Chacma baboon troops in a semi-arid savanna ecosystem of Zimbabwe

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorBanda, Annabel
dc.contributor.authorMoyo, Doreen Z.
dc.contributor.authorNcube, Nokubonga
dc.contributor.authorUtete, Edmore
dc.contributor.authorMachingura, James
dc.contributor.authorGumbo, Tapiwa
dc.contributor.authorGandiwa, Edson
dc.date.accessioned2025-02-25T07:56:24Z
dc.date.available2025-02-25T07:56:24Z
dc.date.issued2024-12
dc.description.abstractFree-ranging Chacma baboon species are known to harbour a wide range of zoonotic parasites, and their frequent close interactions with humans pose a risk of transmission of zoonotic parasites between the two species. This research study focused on understanding parasite dynamics in free-ranging baboon populations that inhabit human-wildlife interface areas, a case of Gwanda State University's Epoch Mine campus in Filabusi at Insiza district. A descriptive and analytical cross-sectional design was used to investigate the prevalence, diversity and association of gastrointestinal parasites among three baboon troops found at the Epoch Mine campus. One hundred and twenty (120) fresh faecal samples were collected from the three troops between February and September 2023. The centrifugal floatation technique was used to process and analyse faecal samples, and parasite ova and cysts were identified using morphological features like shape and size. The prevalence of the parasite taxa and a chi-squared multiple comparison test was computed. Results showed significant differences among most parasite taxa except Coccidia spp and Entamoeba spp among the three troops. The Shannon–Wiener (H′) index was used to calculate diversity and graphs were utilized to present the association. The Kruskal-Wallis tests showed no significant difference in parasite diversity among the three troops. Although troop-parasite association showed different parasite species for each troop, helminths Strongylid spp. and Schistosoma spp. were highly common across all three troops. Troop 1 and 3 were associated with four parasite taxa, whereas Troop 2 had only three. The study reveals the presence of gastro-intestinal parasites of public health concern, as they are capable of causing diseases in humans and domestic animals. The study, therefore, underscores the importance of understanding parasite-host dynamics in mitigating zoonotic disease transmission and suggests the need to generate baseline data for mitigating zoonotic diseases and maintaining a healthy ecosystem.en_US
dc.identifier.citationBanda, A., Moyo, D. Z., Ncube, N., Utete, E., Machingura, J., Gumbo, T., & Gandiwa, E. (2024). Gastrointestinal parasite prevalence, diversity and association in free-ranging Chacma baboon troops in a semi-arid savanna ecosystem of Zimbabwe. International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife, 25, 101012. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.IJPPAW.2024.101012en_US
dc.identifier.issn2213-2244
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijppaw.2024.101012
dc.identifier.urihttp://ir.gsu.ac.zw:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/601
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherElsevier Ltden_US
dc.relation.ispartofseriesInternational Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife;Volume 25, December 2024, 101012
dc.subjectBaboons; Emerging diseases; Human-wildlife interface; Parasite-host interactions; Zoonotic diseases; Zoonotic parasitesen_US
dc.titleGastrointestinal parasite prevalence, diversity and association in free-ranging Chacma baboon troops in a semi-arid savanna ecosystem of Zimbabween_US
dc.typeArticleen_US

Files

Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Gastrointestinal parasite prevalence, diversity and association in....pdf
Size:
2.36 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.71 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:
Download

Collections

Wildlife and Conservation Research Publications