Human-macaque Interactions And Intestinal Parasites In Wild Tibetan Macaques (Macaca Thibetana) At Mt. Huangshan, China

In recent years, human-monkey disease risk assessment becomes more and more concerned by scholars. Because Macaca (genus) and humans have a high frequency of contact, it is urgent that the disease cause and transmission mode need to be researched extensively to investigate and monitor the health status of the primates and control the disease. Under current conditions, investigating intestinal parasites infection and characterizing the human-monkey interactions which may lead to disease transmission can help promote to establish a database which can effectively assess the relationship between monkey behavior, ecology, epidemiology and cultural, to promote human public health and endangered species protection, to reduce disease transmission risk in human-monkeys interactions and to provide a scientific basis for the management of non-human primates.By using all-occurrence sampling and continuous recording, we evaluated the monkey-human interactions between Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana) and tourists at Mt. Huangshan of YA1 and YA2 groups in two periods (Nov.-Dec.2008 and Apr.-May 2009). We also collected fecal samples and used precipitation-washed method, and saturated saline flotation method to detect the species of the intestinal parasites. We analysis the character of macaques-tourists interactions intestinal parasitic infections of Tibetan macaques and local management at Mt.Huangshan. To accumulate original data for primate disease risk assessment and provide advice for primate disease risk management. The main results are following:(1) In macaca-tourist interactions, contact interactions(6.80%) is lower than no contact interactions (93.20%). We found that the adult male monkeys participated in more aggressive behaviors than expected (P<0.01). The proportion difference of interactions occurred in adult female monkeys, immature monkeys, adult female human and child during feeding time are more than non-feeding time. The events happened more in Monkey Platform than other locations (P<0.005);(2) We found that Tibetan macaques were infectioned by Oesophagostomum apiostomum, Ancylostoma duodenale, Strongyloides stercoralis, Rhabditis sp., Trichuris trichura, Gongylonema sp., Trichostrongylus sp., Copillaria hepatica, and Ascaris lumbricoides which Gongylonema sp. infection rate highest (31.58%), Rhabditis sp., Ascaris lumbricoides lowest (1.31%). Most infected with 1-2 species. Infection routes of oral ways by water and soil account up to the largest proportion of 57.78%. Compared with intestinal parasite infection of macaque monkeys during recent years, Tibetan macaques infected more. And compared with the situation of human infection in Anhui Province, Tibetan macaques and Anhui Province people have infected common parasites:Ancylostoma duodenale, Trichuris trichura, Trichostrongylus sp., Ascaris lumbricoides.Our result shows that the primate disease risk exist. The huangshan management mode should be enhanced. Under the Huangshan management mode of feeding on time and quantitative, tourist viewing monkey in fixed locations, reminding tourist against feeding by the keepers. The noncontact interactions are more frequent than contact interactions, so the current management mode is effective for the human-macaca interactions. We suggest that the adult male monkey and adult male human should be paid much attentions, which can reduce the primate disease risk effectively. And the human-primate disease analysis need be studied further.