Browsing by Author "Graczyk, Thaddeus K."

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    Campylobacteriosis, Salmonellosis, And Shigellosis In Free-Ranging Human-Habituated Mountain Gorillas Of Uganda
    (Journal of Wildlife Diseases, 2001) Nizeyi, John Bosco; Innocent, Rwego B.; Erume, Joseph; Kalema, Gladys R. N. N.; Cranfield, Michael R.; Graczyk, Thaddeus K.
    For conservation purposes and due to growing ecotourism, free-ranging mountain gorillas (Gorilla gorilla beringei) have been habituated to humans. Fecal specimens (n = 62) collected in January 1999 from mountain gorillas of the Bwindi and Mgahinga National Parks, Uganda, were tested for Campylobacter spp., Salmonella spp., and Shigella spp., and the overall prevalence of infection was 19%, 13%, and 6%, respectively. The prevalence of positive specimens was not related to the year of habituation of a gorilla group to humans. Campylobacter spp., Salmonella, and Shigella spp. infections were not distributed equally among the age classes of gorillas; most of the enteropathogens (80%), and all Shigella spp. organisms, S. sonnei, S. boydii, and S. flexneri, were isolated from subadults and adult gorillas with ages ranging from 6.0 to 11.9 yr. The prevalence of Campylobacter spp. and Salmonella spp. infections among human-habituated gorillas has doubled during the last 4 yr, and isolation of Shigella spp. for the first time from mountain gorillas, may indicate enhanced anthropozoonotic transmission of these enteropathogens.
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    Cryptosporidiosis in People sharing Habitats with Free-ranging Mountain Gorillas (Gorilla gorilla beringei), Uganda
    (The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene, 2002) Nizeyi, John Bosco; Sebunya, Dennis; Dasilva, Alexandre J.; Cranfield, Michael R.; Pieniazek, Norman J.; Graczyk, Thaddeus K.
    Cryptosporidiosis, a zoonotic diarrheal disease, significantly contributes to the mortality of people with impaired immune systems worldwide. Infections with an animal-adapted genotype (Genotype 2) of Cryptosporidium parvum were found in a human population in Uganda that shares habitats with free-ranging gorillas, from which the same genotype of C. parvum had been recovered previously. A high prevalence of disease was found in park staff members (21%) who frequently contact gorillas versus 3% disease prevalence in the local community. This indicates a zoonotic transmission cycle of this pathogen against which no effective prophylaxis or therapy exists. The results of the study questionnaire demonstrated a high percentage of people not undertaking appropriate precautions to prevent fecal-oral transmission of C. parvum in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda. This human population will benefit from stronger compliance with park regulations regarding disposal of their fecal waste within the park boundaries.