Absence of paramyxovirus RNA in non-human primate sanctuaries and a primatology center in Gabon

Abstract

The viruses of the Paramyxoviridae family are known to infect a wide range of animals, including primates, birds, rodents,carnivores, bats, ungulates, snakes, cetaceans and humans. This study aims to investigate the circulation of paramyxoviruses in five potential host species groups (humans, non-human primates, rodents, shrews, and bats) living in the same environments in three conservation programs dedicated to non-human primates, namely the Lékédi park, the primatology center of the International Center for Medical Research of Franceville and the Gorilla Protection Program, located in Gabon. We tested 35 workers, 343 NHPs (8 species), 141 bats (4 species), 420 rodents (5 species) and 10 shrews, sampled between 2013 and 2014. Faecal and organ samples were analyzed using three heminested reverse transcription-PCR (hnRT-PCR). All the 1884 samples tested were negative for PV detection. Further studies spanning a greater period of time are needed to investigate PV circulation patterns in theseconservation programs.