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Coincident tick infestations in the nostrils of wild chimpanzees and a human in Uganda.

ABSTRACT: Ticks in the nostrils of humans visiting equatorial African forests have been reported sporadically for decades, but their taxonomy and natural history have remained obscure. We report human infestation with a nostril tick in Kibale National Park, Uganda, coincident with infestation of chimpanzees in the same location with nostril ticks, as shown by high-resolution digital photography. The human-derived nostril tick was identified morphologically and genetically as a nymph of the genus Amblyomma, but the mitochondrial 12S ribosomal RNA or the nuclear intergenic transcribed spacer 2 DNA sequences of the specimen were not represented in GenBank. These ticks may represent a previously uncharacterized species that is adapted to infesting chimpanzee nostrils as a defense against grooming. Ticks that feed upon apes and humans may facilitate cross-species transmission of pathogens, and the risk of exposure is likely elevated for persons who frequent ape habitats.

SUBMITTER: Hamer SA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3820337 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Coincident tick infestations in the nostrils of wild chimpanzees and a human in Uganda.

Hamer Sarah A SA Bernard Andrew B AB Donovan Ronan M RM Hartel Jessica A JA Wrangham Richard W RW Otali Emily E Goldberg Tony L TL

The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene 20130930 5

Ticks in the nostrils of humans visiting equatorial African forests have been reported sporadically for decades, but their taxonomy and natural history have remained obscure. We report human infestation with a nostril tick in Kibale National Park, Uganda, coincident with infestation of chimpanzees in the same location with nostril ticks, as shown by high-resolution digital photography. The human-derived nostril tick was identified morphologically and genetically as a nymph of the genus Amblyomma ...[more]

PMID: 24080634

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Dataset Information

Coincident tick infestations in the nostrils of wild chimpanzees and a human in Uganda.

Publications

Coincident tick infestations in the nostrils of wild chimpanzees and a human in Uganda.

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