Plasmodium Infections in Wild Mexican Primates, with the Detection of P. falciparum

Abstract Primates share several disease agents with humans. Some of these are of high medical concern, impacting both primate conservation and human health. Plasmodium parasites, responsible for malaria disease, have been associated with primate infection, and some species can be transferred between humans and other primates. In Mexico, despite the increasing rates of environmental transformation and human encroachment into the wild, there is no information regarding the occurrence of malaria parasites in wild primates in the country. We employed noninvasive sampling and molecular diagnostic techniques to detect Plasmodium infections in 14 populations of Alouatta pigra and Ateles geoffroyi in southern Mexico. We screened primate fecal samples for Plasmodium DNA through qPCR, and sequenced cytochrome b ( cytb ) and cytochrome c oxidase subunit 3 ( cox3 ) genes to identify parasites at the species level. We used Bayesian inference to assess the phylogenic position of the obtained cytb sequences. Prevalence of Plasmodium infection was 12% in A. pigra and 7% in A. geoffroyi . The highest percentage of Plasmodium infection in these primates coincides with areas of foci of human malaria in the country. We confirmed the presence of P. falciparum in three of 93 samples. Further studies are needed to assess the richness of Plasmodium species in Mexican primates and to understand disease dynamics at the interface between human and our fellow primates, along with its implications for both public health and primate conservation.