Publications by authors named "Idrissa S Chuma"

Background: The potential for the transfer of zoonotic diseases, including bacteria between human and non-human primates (NHPs), is expected to rise. It is posited that NHPs that live in close contact with humans serve as sentinels and reservoirs for antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Objectives: The objective was to characterize the oral and rectal bacteria in Ghanaian NHPs and profile the antimicrobial susceptibility of the isolated bacteria.

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Background: Treponema pallidum subsp. pertenue (TPE) is the causative agent of human yaws. Yaws is currently reported in 13 endemic countries in Africa, southern Asia, and the Pacific region.

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Article Synopsis
  • Baboons, a diverse group of catarrhine monkeys, have undergone hybridization between different phylogenetic species, making their genetic makeup complex.
  • A study used whole-genome sequencing from 225 wild baboons across 19 locations to explore their population genetics and interspecies gene flow, revealing intricate patterns of admixture and population structure.
  • The findings highlight a baboon population linked to three distinct lineages and uncover the evolutionary processes that create discrepancies between genetic relationships obtained from maternal and paternal inheritance, including potential genes affecting unique species traits.
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  • Baboons display significant morphological and behavioral diversity, with hybridization among different species influencing their genetics.
  • Researchers analyzed high-coverage whole genome sequences from 225 baboons across 19 locations to understand population dynamics and gene flow between species.
  • The study identified a unique baboon population with mixed genetic origins and uncovered ancient and recent processes that affect genetic relationships among individuals and species.
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Background: Treponema pallidum (TP) is a spirochaete bacterium with subspecies that in humans cause syphilis (subsp. pallidum), bejel (subsp. endemicum) and yaws (subsp.

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Yaws is a chronic infection caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum susp. pertenue (TPE) that was thought to be an exclusive human pathogen but was recently found and confirmed in nonhuman primates. In this paper, we develop the first compartmental ODE model for TPE infection with treatment of wild olive baboons.

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In 2020, a new subspecies was described in the complex, the Manyara monkey , Butynski & De Jong, 2020. The internal taxonomy of this species complex is still debated, and the phylogenetic relationships among the taxa are unclear. Here we provide the first mitochondrial sequence data for to determine its position within the mitochondrial phylogeny of .

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Article Synopsis
  • * High-altitude geladas have larger chest circumferences to enhance oxygen intake, but unlike typical lowland primates, they do not show increased blood hemoglobin levels, indicating a different approach to coping with low oxygen.
  • * The research identified accelerated genetic evolution and specific gene expansions in geladas, providing clues to their adaptation strategies and potential areas for future studies on hypoxia.
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Estimating population density and population dynamics is essential for understanding primate ecology and relies on robust methods. While distance sampling theory provides a robust framework for estimating animal abundance, implementing a constrained, non-systematic transect design could bias density estimates. Here, we assessed potential bias associated with line distance sampling surveys along roads based on a case study with olive baboons (Papio anubis) in Lake Manyara National Park (Tanzania).

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Pathogens exert a profound and pervasive cost on various aspects of primate sociality and reproduction. In olive baboons (Papio anubis) at Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania, genital skin ulcers, caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum subsp. pertenue, are associated with increased female mating avoidance and altered male mating patterns at a pre-copulatory and copulatory level.

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Objectives: Incomplete and/or biased sampling either on a taxonomic or geographic level can lead to delusive phylogenetic and phylogeographic inferences. However, a complete taxonomic and geographical sampling is often and for various reasons impossible, particularly for widespread taxa such as baboons (Papio spp.).

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Background: The first yaws eradication campaign reduced the prevalence of yaws by 95%. In recent years, however, yaws has reemerged and is currently subject to a second, ongoing eradication campaign. Yet, the epidemiological status of Tanzania and 75 other countries with a known history of human yaws is currently unknown.

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In our most recent study, we found that in Tanzania infection with Treponema pallidum (TP) subsp. pertenue (TPE) is present in four different monkey species. In order to gain information on the diversity and epidemiological spread of the infection in Tanzanian nonhuman primates (NHP), we identified two suitable candidate genes for multi-locus sequence typing (MLST).

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We investigated Treponema pallidum infection in 8 nonhuman primate species (289 animals) in Tanzania during 2015-2017. We used a serologic treponemal test to detect antibodies against the bacterium. Infection was further confirmed from tissue samples of skin-ulcerated animals by 3 independent PCRs (polA, tp47, and TP_0619).

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We show proof of concept for gene targets (polA, tprL, and TP_0619) that can be used in loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assays to rapidly differentiate infection with any of the three Treponema pallidum subspecies (pallidum (TPA), pertenue (TPE), and endemicum (TEN)) and which are known to infect humans and nonhuman primates (NHPs). Four TPA, six human, and two NHP TPE strains, as well as two human TEN strains were used to establish and validate the LAMP assays. All three LAMP assays were highly specific for the target DNA.

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The olive baboon () is the most widely distributed baboon species. We report here on the complete mitochondrial genome of an olive baboon from the south-eastern edge of the species' range from Gombe National Park (NP), Tanzania. The genome (GenBank accession number MG787545) has a length of 16,490 bp and exhibits the typical structure of mammalian mitochondrial genomes.

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Intergeneric hybridization and introgression was reported from one of two populations of the recently discovered kipunji (), a critically endangered African monkey species of southern Tanzania. Kipunjis of the introgressed population (from Mount Rungwe) carry a mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplotype closely related to those of parapatric yellow baboons (), whereas the second kipunji population, in the Udzungwa Mountains, carries the original kipunji mtDNA haplotypes, which diverged from the baboon lineage about 3 million years ago. Interestingly, in our study of yellow baboons in Tanzania, we found that baboons from the southeastern boundary of the Udzungwa Mountains carry mtDNA haplotypes closely related to the original kipunji haplotype, whereas baboons from the northern boundary, as expected, carry mtDNA haplotypes of the northern yellow baboon clade.

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Background: Campylobacter species are gram negative and flagellated bacteria under the genus Campylobacter, family Campylobacteriaceae. These pathogens cause zoonotic infections among human and animal populations. This study was undertaken between December 2006 and May 2007 to determine prevalence, risk factors and genetic diversity of thermophilic Campylobacter isolates from children less than 5 years and chickens in Morogoro Municipality, Tanzania.

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Background: Recently, the World Health Organization launched a campaign to eradicate the tropical disease yaws, caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum subsp. pertenue; however, for decades researchers have questioned whether flies act as a vector for the pathogen that could facilitate transmission.

Methods: A total of 207 fly specimens were trapped in areas of Africa in which T.

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