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Sánchez KL, Baird JK, Nielsen A, Nurillah A, Agustina F, Komara, Fadilah F, Prameswari W, Nugraha RTP, Saputra S, Nurkanto A, Dharmayanthi AB, Pratama R, Exploitasia I, Greenwood AD. Naturally acquired immunity to Plasmodium pitheci in Bornean orangutans ( Pongo pygmaeus). Parasitology 2024; 151:380-389. [PMID: 38361461 PMCID: PMC11044065 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182024000155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Revised: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
Naturally acquired immunity to the different types of malaria in humans occurs in areas of endemic transmission and results in asymptomatic infection of peripheral blood. The current study examined the possibility of naturally acquired immunity in Bornean orangutans, Pongo pygmaeus, exposed to endemic Plasmodium pitheci malaria. A total of 2140 peripheral blood samples were collected between January 2017 and December 2022 from a cohort of 135 orangutans housed at a natural forested Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. Each individual was observed for an average of 4.3 years during the study period. Blood samples were examined by microscopy and polymerase chain reaction for the presence of plasmodial parasites. Infection rates and parasitaemia levels were measured among age groups and all 20 documented clinical malaria cases were reviewed to estimate the incidence of illness and risk ratios among age groups. A case group of all 17 individuals that had experienced clinical malaria and a control group of 34 individuals having an event of >2000 parasites μL−1 blood but with no outward or clinical sign of illness were studied. Immature orangutans had higher-grade and more frequent parasitaemia events, but mature individuals were more likely to suffer from clinical malaria than juveniles. The case orangutans having patent clinical malaria were 256 times more likely to have had no parasitaemia event in the prior year relative to asymptomatic control orangutans. The findings are consistent with rapidly acquired immunity to P. pitheci illness among orangutans that wanes without re-exposure to the pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karmele Llano Sánchez
- IAR Indonesia Foundation, Yayasan Inisiasi Alam Rehabilitasi Indonesia (YIARI), Sinarwangi, Bogor, West Java, Indonesia
- International Animal Rescue, Uckfield, UK
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität, Berlin, Germany
| | - John Kevin Baird
- Oxford University Clinical Research Unit-Indonesia, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Aileen Nielsen
- Center for Law and Economics, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Andini Nurillah
- IAR Indonesia Foundation, Yayasan Inisiasi Alam Rehabilitasi Indonesia (YIARI), Sinarwangi, Bogor, West Java, Indonesia
| | - Fitria Agustina
- IAR Indonesia Foundation, Yayasan Inisiasi Alam Rehabilitasi Indonesia (YIARI), Sinarwangi, Bogor, West Java, Indonesia
| | - Komara
- IAR Indonesia Foundation, Yayasan Inisiasi Alam Rehabilitasi Indonesia (YIARI), Sinarwangi, Bogor, West Java, Indonesia
| | - Fina Fadilah
- IAR Indonesia Foundation, Yayasan Inisiasi Alam Rehabilitasi Indonesia (YIARI), Sinarwangi, Bogor, West Java, Indonesia
| | - Wendi Prameswari
- IAR Indonesia Foundation, Yayasan Inisiasi Alam Rehabilitasi Indonesia (YIARI), Sinarwangi, Bogor, West Java, Indonesia
| | | | - Sugiyono Saputra
- Research Center for Applied Zoology, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Arif Nurkanto
- Research Center for Biosystematics and Evolution, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Anik Budhi Dharmayanthi
- Research Center for Biosystematics and Evolution, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Rahadian Pratama
- Center for Biomedical Research, Research Organization for Health, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Indra Exploitasia
- Biodiversity Conservation Directorate of the General Director of Natural Resources and Ecosystem Conservation, Ministry of Environment and Forestry of the Republic of Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Alex D. Greenwood
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Wildlife Diseases, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
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Sanchez KL, Greenwood AD, Nielsen A, Nugraha RTP, Prameswari W, Nurillah A, Agustina F, Campbell-Smith G, Dharmayanthi AB, Pratama R, Exploitasia I, Baird JK. Plasmodium pitheci malaria in Bornean orang-utans at a rehabilitation centre in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. Malar J 2022; 21:280. [PMID: 36184593 PMCID: PMC9528059 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-022-04290-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Plasmodial species naturally infecting orang-utans, Plasmodium pitheci and Plasmodium silvaticum, have been rarely described and reportedly cause relatively benign infections. Orang-utans at Rescue Rehabilitation Centres (RRC) across the orang-utan natural range suffer from malaria illness. However, the species involved and clinical pathology of this illness have not been described in a systematic manner. The objective of the present study was to identify the Plasmodium species infecting orang-utans under our care, define the frequency and character of malaria illness among the infected, and establish criteria for successful diagnosis and treatment. METHODS During the period 2017-2021, prospective active surveillance of malaria among 131 orang-utans resident in a forested RRC in West Kalimantan (Indonesia) was conducted. A total of 1783 blood samples were analysed by microscopy and 219 by nucleic acid based (PCR) diagnostic testing. Medical records of inpatient orang-utans at the centre from 2010 to 2016 were also retrospectively analysed for instances of symptomatic malaria. RESULTS Active surveillance revealed 89 of 131 orang-utans were positive for malaria at least once between 2017 and 2021 (period prevalence = 68%). During that period, 14 cases (affecting 13 orang-utans) developed clinical malaria (0.027 attacks/orang-utan-year). Three other cases were found to have occurred from 2010-2016. Sick individuals presented predominantly with fever, anaemia, thrombocytopenia, and leukopenia. All had parasitaemias in excess of 4000/μL and as high as 105,000/μL, with severity of illness correlating with parasitaemia. Illness and parasitaemia quickly resolved following administration of artemisinin-combined therapies. High levels of parasitaemia also sometimes occurred in asymptomatic cases, in which case, parasitaemia cleared spontaneously. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrated that P. pitheci very often infected orang-utans at this RRC. In about 14% of infected orang-utans, malaria illness occurred and ranged from moderate to severe in nature. The successful clinical management of acute pitheci malaria is described. Concerns are raised about this infection potentially posing a threat to this endangered species in the wild.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karmele Llano Sanchez
- IAR Indonesia Foundation - Yayasan Inisiasi Alam Rehabilitasi Indonesia (YIARI), Ketapang, West Kalimantan, Indonesia.
- International Animal Rescue, Uckfield, UK.
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Frei Universität, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Alex D Greenwood
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Frei Universität, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Wildlife Diseases, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Aileen Nielsen
- Center for Law and Economics, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - R Taufiq P Nugraha
- Research Center for Applied Zoology, National Research and Innovation Agency, Republic of Indonesia (BRIN), Cibinong, Indonesia
| | - Wendi Prameswari
- IAR Indonesia Foundation - Yayasan Inisiasi Alam Rehabilitasi Indonesia (YIARI), Ketapang, West Kalimantan, Indonesia
| | - Andini Nurillah
- IAR Indonesia Foundation - Yayasan Inisiasi Alam Rehabilitasi Indonesia (YIARI), Ketapang, West Kalimantan, Indonesia
| | - Fitria Agustina
- IAR Indonesia Foundation - Yayasan Inisiasi Alam Rehabilitasi Indonesia (YIARI), Ketapang, West Kalimantan, Indonesia
| | - Gail Campbell-Smith
- IAR Indonesia Foundation - Yayasan Inisiasi Alam Rehabilitasi Indonesia (YIARI), Ketapang, West Kalimantan, Indonesia
- International Animal Rescue, Uckfield, UK
| | - Anik Budhi Dharmayanthi
- Research Center for Biosystematics and Evolution, National Research and Innovation Agency, Republic of Indonesia (BRIN), Cibinong, Indonesia
| | - Rahadian Pratama
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia
| | - Indra Exploitasia
- Biodiversity Conservation Directorate of the General Director of Natural Resources and Ecosystem Conservation, Ministry of Environment and Forestry of the Republic of Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - J Kevin Baird
- Clinical Research Unit-Indonesia, Faculty of Medicine, Oxford University, Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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Steiper ME, Walsh F, Zichello JM. The SLC4A1 gene is under differential selective pressure in primates infected by Plasmodium falciparum and related parasites. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2012; 12:1037-45. [PMID: 22426110 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2012.02.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2011] [Revised: 02/28/2012] [Accepted: 02/29/2012] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Malaria is a disease caused by Plasmodium parasites and is responsible for high mortality in humans. This disease is caused by four different species of Plasmodium though the main source of mortality is Plasmodium falciparum. Humans have a number of genetic adaptations that act to combat Plasmodium. One adaptation is a deletion in the SLC4A1 gene that leads to Southeast Asian ovalocytosis (SAO). There is evidence that SAO erythrocytes are resistant to multiple Plasmodium species. Here we analyze SLC4A1 in 23 primates and mammals to test for differential selective pressures among different primate lineages. Because primates are infected with both human Plasmodium parasites and their relatives, this analysis can be used to test which human Plasmodium parasite is the likely target of SAO. A significantly different pattern of molecular evolution was found in humans and African apes, species that are infected by P. falciparum and its relatives. This effect was restricted to the cytosolic domain of the SLC4A1 gene. The evidence is consistent with a different selective regime operating on this gene domain in humans and African apes, when compared to other primates and mammals. Alternatively, this pattern is consistent with a relaxation of selection or weak adaptive evolution operating on a small number of amino acids. The adaptive interpretation of the results is consistent with the SAO allele of the SLC4A1 gene interacting with P. falciparum in humans, rather than other Plasmodium parasites. However, additional investigation of the relationship between SLC4A1 variants and Plasmodium in humans and African apes is required to test whether the different selective regime in humans and African apes is due to natural selection or relaxed constraint.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael E Steiper
- Department of Anthropology, Hunter College of the City University of New York, 695 Park Avenue, NY, NY 10065, USA.
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Focusing on comparative ape population genetics in the post-genomic age. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2006; 16:586-91. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2006.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2006] [Accepted: 09/15/2006] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
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Steiper ME. Population history, biogeography, and taxonomy of orangutans (Genus: Pongo) based on a population genetic meta-analysis of multiple loci. J Hum Evol 2006; 50:509-22. [PMID: 16472840 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2005.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2005] [Revised: 09/23/2005] [Accepted: 12/12/2005] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
This paper examines orangutan population history and evolution through a meta-analysis of seven loci collected from both Sumatran and Bornean orangutans. Within orangutans, most loci show that the Sumatran population is about twice as diverse as the Bornean population. Orangutans are more diverse than African apes and humans. Sumatran and Bornean populations show significant genetic differentiation from one another and their history does not differ significantly from an 'island model' (population splitting without gene flow). Two different methods support a divergence of Bornean and Sumatran orangutans at 2.7-5 million years ago. This suggests that Pleistocene events, such as the cyclical exposure of the Sunda shelf and the Toba volcanic eruption, did not have a major impact on the divergence of Bornean and Sumatran orangutans. Pairwise mismatch analyses, however, suggest that Bornean orangutans have undergone a recent population expansion (beginning 39,000-64,000 years ago), while Sumatran orangutan populations were stable. Pleistocene events may have contributed to these aspects of orangutan population history. These conclusions are applied to the debate on orangutan taxonomy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael E Steiper
- Department of Anthropology, Hunter College of the City University of New York, 695 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10021, USA.
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Steiper ME, Wolfe ND, Karesh WB, Kilbourn AM, Bosi EJ, Ruvolo M. The phylogenetic and evolutionary history of a novel alpha-globin-type gene in orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus). INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2005; 6:277-86. [PMID: 16172024 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2005.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2005] [Revised: 07/19/2005] [Accepted: 08/01/2005] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The alpha-globin genes are implicated in human resistance to malaria, a disease caused by Plasmodium parasites. This study is the first to analyze DNA sequences from a novel alpha-globin-type gene in orangutans, a species affected by Plasmodium. Phylogenetic methods show that the gene is a duplication of an alpha-globin gene and is located 5' of alpha-2 globin. The alpha-globin-type gene is notable for having four amino acid replacements relative to the orangutan's alpha-1 and alpha-2 globin genes, with no synonymous differences. Pairwise K(a)/K(s) methods and likelihood ratio tests (LRTs) revealed that the evolutionary history of the alpha-globin-type gene has been marked by either neutral or positive evolution, but not purifying selection. A comparative analysis of the amino acid replacements of the alpha-globin-type gene with human hemoglobinopathies and hemoglobin structure showed that two of the four replaced sites are members of the same molecular bond, one that is crucial to the proper functioning of the hemoglobin molecule. This suggested an adaptive evolutionary change. Functionally, this locus may result in a thalassemia-like phenotype in orangutans, possibly as an adaptation to combat Plasmodium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael E Steiper
- Department of Anthropology, Hunter College of the City University of New York, New York, USA.
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