Publication details
Helminths parasitizing Sumatran Orang-utans: a survey and new findings
| Authors | |
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| Year of publication | 2008 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | Helminthic infections can have a serious impact on the health of a host and endangered primate species are no exception. The genus Pongo (P. pygmaeus, P. abelii) is parasitized by species of 20 genera (Nematoda 15; Cestoda 1; Trematoda 3; Acanthocephala 1). Only limited information is available regarding orang-utan parasites in general and studies focusing on the helminths of free-living orang-utans are even rarer. Determination of parasites was usually carried out by coprological techniques; determination of parasite individuals is only found in 3 articles (from 1877, 1891 and 1950). During our parasitological monitoring of wild and semi-wild orang-utans in Northern Sumatra in the locality of a former rehabilitation station in Bohorok between 1999-2003, we identified the following serious pathogens, based on determination of parasite individuals: 1. Mammomonogamus laryngeus (Syngamidae: Nematoda) - persistent infection in the area with high pathogenity; three pinworm species (Enterobiinae): 2. Enterobius buckley - the first report from a native locality and new host; 3. Pongobius hugoti - a new species with high abundance in the locality; 4. Protenterobius sp. evaluated as a new species at present; 5. Ascaris sp.; 6. Bertiella sp. - this tapeworm is a rare parasite in orang-utans. Species determination of Ascaris sp. and Bertiella sp. is discussed. |
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