Meeting Abstract

59.2  Sunday, Jan. 5 13:45  Diarrheal Viruses in Humans and Lemurs in Madagascar: a One Health Approach ZOHDY, S*; FRIED, I.R.; WRIGHT, P.C.; GILLESPIE, T.R.; Emory University; Emory University; Stony Brook University; Emory University sarah.zohdy@emory.edu

Diarrheal viruses are one of the most common causes of death in humans in developing nations; however, they have not yet been studied in lemurs, wild non-human primates (NHPs) endemic to the island of Madagascar. Over half of the pathogens listed as emerging in humans are viruses, and a majority of them have been isolated from wild NHPs. Due to a similar evolutionary history between human and NHPs, as well as the increasing proximity of human populations to shrinking NHP territories, an understanding of human and NHP disease has the potential to inform decision making for primate conservation and human health. In this study we screened human populations in rural villages near Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar and wild lemur populations in the rainforests that surround them for diarrheal viruses (Adenovirus, Enterovirus, Rotavirus, and Norovirus genogroups GI and GII). Fecal samples were voluntarily provided from human populations and non-invasively collected from lemurs in 2011 and 2012 (May- August). In both humans and lemurs Adenovirus was the most commonly exhibited virus found in 34% of human and 27.4% of lemur samples, followed by Enterovirus found in 9.6% of human and 20% of lemur samples. Further phylogenetic analysis of positive viral samples has the potential to reveal novel lemur adenoviruses, and zoonotic transmission events between humans and lemur species in Madagascar. Transmission of these viruses from humans to lemurs poses a serious conservation risk for these already endangered species, while transmission from lemurs to humans could become a serious public health risk.