Nature reports leprosy for the first time in wild chimpanzees Science

The researchers identified the disease in two different populations of wild chimpanzees. One of them is in Cantonese National Park Guinea Bissau, And in Taï National Park in C டிte d’Ivoire. Although this was first confirmed in nature, cases of captivity in monkeys have been reported.

The research was led by Kimberly J. Hawkings of the University of Exeter in the UK. In his findings, the researcher points out that excessive circulation of the disease in wild animals may be related to contact with humans or for some other reason is not yet known.

“The strains identified in each population of chimpanzees are different and are rare in humans and other animals,” explains Charlotte Avenci, a researcher at Colorado State University who participated in the study. “This study opens up a new frontier for understanding the spread of the disease in countries where the disease is endemic,” says Avenci.

Although the study did not conclude about the origin of the contact with the bacteria, the researchers point out that in Guinea-Bissau, chimpanzees are located in areas close to human settlements, although they are not targeted for hunting.

However, in C டிte d’Ivoire, people are in a very isolated area and are more likely to become infected by contact with another animal or other source in the environment, such as ticks or water.