Gastrointenstinal parasites of Non-human primates in Unilorin Zoological Garend and Kanji Lake National Park, Nigeria

Primates serve as important reservoirs of parasites that cause major problems to humans, livestock and under stressful conditions to themselves. We compared the gastrointestinal parasites of some Non-human Primates at... [ view full abstract ]

Primates serve as important reservoirs of parasites that cause major problems to humans, livestock and under stressful conditions to themselves. We compared the gastrointestinal parasites of some Non-human Primates at University of Ilorin Zoological Garden (Unilorin Zoo) and Kainji Lake National Park (KLNP), Nigeria in order to determine the level of their prevalence and possibility of infection on tourists visiting the sites. Species sampled were restricted to the ones common to both sites and they are Papio anubis, Erythrocebus patas and Chlorocebus aethiops tantalus. A total of 128 faecal samples were screened from apparent healthy individuals for the exercise. Fourteen samples (10.9%) from were obtained from captive primates in the Zoo and 114 samples (89.1%) from free-range primates in the park. The faecal samples were processed using sedimentation, sugar floatation techniques, Stoll's dilution technique, cultured and infective larvae were recovered using Baermann technique. In all 110 (85.7%) samples were positive for infestation of at least eggs. Four 4 (28.6%) samples were positive in captivity of Unilorin Zoo whereas 106 (93%) samples were positive in the free-range of KLNP. Among the positive samples were three species of nematodes; Strongyloides spp., Ascaris spp., Ancyclostoma spp., with Strongyloides sp. as the most prevalent parasite, occurring in all the primates irrespective of the species. Primates on free-range had higher prevalence of infection than those in captivity. However, under both conditions, there is no significant difference in the prevalence and intensity of parasites harboured over seasons (t(4)=-1.968,p=0.120). Animals in captivity appear to be maintained at high level of hygiene and ethical standard than those on free living in the park. Human interaction with the wild species poses high risk to zoonotic infection among visitors to the park. Educating workers and tourist on the need to maintain standard hygiene is thus imperative in order to guide against zoonotic infection.