Viral hepatitis, helminthiasis and protozoan disease in neotropical primates raised in captivity: potentially zoonotic affections with fecal-oral transmission

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Brazilian environmental legislation does not allow non-human primates to be raised in captivity. However, this remains a common practice in the Amazon region, and the close proximity of animals and humans facilitates the transmission of zoonotic diseases. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the presence of zoonotic agents in household-raised non-human primates. We analyzed animals donated or apprehended by Brazil's Environmental Police Battalion and/or the Instituto Brasileiro de Meio Ambiente e Recursos Naturais Renováveis in Pará State, Brazil, and sent to the Centro Nacional de Primatas. Blood samples taken from 25 animals during the quarantine period were subjected to serum and antibody tests for viral hepatitis (types A, B and E) at the Instituto Evandro Chagas. Parasitological analysis of fecal material was performed on 29 animals using direct examination and the Willis and Hoffman methods. None of the animals tested positive for anti-hepatitis B or anti-hepatitis E virus antibodies, but 12% were positive for total anti-hepatitis A antibodies. In addition, parasitological studies showed that 48.2% of the animals had parasites with zoonotic potential. Strongyloides stercoralis was observed in 17.2%, but this parasite was associated with Giardia lamblia in only 3.4% of the samples. Giardia lamblia and Entamoeba histolytica were detected in 3.4% and 10.3% of the samples, respectively. All of the pathogens described in this study are transmitted through the fecal-oral route. Therefore, we concluded that non-human primates should not be raised in captivity, and this practice should be addressed as an important public health concern.