A 2013 disease outbreak in Uganda that caused the death of 5 chimpanzees in a community of 56 can be attributed to a human “common cold” virus, rhinovirus C. The report was published yesterday in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.
While respiratory illnesses are common among chimpanzees, it can often be hard to diagnose the causative agent. One of the challenges to diagnosing chimps with rhinovirus C is that it does not show up in feces, which is typically how researchers determine what is causing chimp illness. In this case, the team was able to retrieve the body of Betty, a two-year-old chimp that had succumbed to the virus, before the body decomposed or scavengers got to it. Samples were secured in Uganda and taken to the University of Wisconsin for analysis. Genetic sequencing confirmed the identity of the virus.
"It was completely unknown that rhinovirus C could infect anything other than humans," said Tony Goldberg, a professor at the University of Wisconsin. "It was surprising to find it in chimpanzees, and it was equally surprising that it could kill healthy chimpanzees outright."
In humans, rhinovirus C can be especially virulent in children and more severe in people with a genetic susceptibility. This susceptibility depends on the structure of a receptor that allows the virus to enter and infect host cells—some have high susceptibility versions while others have a version that makes them resistant. Evidence from genetic sequencing of chimp DNA from fecal samples seems to indicate that all chimps may have the susceptible genotype.
These findings serve as a reminder that human interaction with wild ape communities can have detrimental effects to these already threatened animals. Such interactions occur when habitat is encroached upon by human settlements, from activities like tourism and research and when apes leave the forest to look for food in areas occupied by humans.
Image: A two-year-old chimp named Betty, who succumbed to the virus. Image courtesy of Richard Wrangham.