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Peer-reviewed veterinary case report

Age-related effects on malaria parasite infection in wild chimpanzees.

Journal:
Biology letters
Year:
2013
Authors:
De Nys, Hélène M et al.
Affiliation:
Project Group Epidemiology of Highly Pathogenic Microorganisms · Germany

Abstract

Wild great apes are widely infected with a number of malaria parasites (Plasmodium spp.). Yet, nothing is known about the biology of these infections in the wild. Using faecal samples collected from wild chimpanzees, we investigated the effect of age on Plasmodium spp. detection rates. The data show a strong association between age and malaria parasite positivity, with significantly lower detection rates in adults. This suggests that, as in humans, individuals reaching adulthood have mounted an effective protective immunity against malaria parasites.

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Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23720517/