Within host communities, related species are more likely to share common parasitic agents, and as a result, morphological similarities have led researchers to conclude that parasites infecting closely related hosts within a community represent a single species. However, genetic diversity within parasite genera and host range remain poorly investigated in most systems. Strongyloides is a genus of soil-transmitted nematode that has been reported from several primate species in Africa and Asia, and has been estimated to infect hundreds of millions of people worldwide, although no precise estimates are available. Here we describe a case of infection with a cryptic species of Strongyloides in a Bornean (Philippine) slow loris (Nycticebus menagensis) living within a diverse community of several primate species in the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, Malaysian Borneo. Fresh fecal samples were collected from five primate species and nematode larvae cultured from these samples were selected for phylogenetic analyses. Sequences obtained for most larvae were identified as S. fuelleborni, grouping into three different clusters and showing no aggregation within specific hosts or geographic location. In contrast, a set of parasite sequences obtained from a slow loris clustered closely with S. stercoralis into a different group, being genetically distinct to sequences reported from other primate hosts, humans included. Our results suggest that although S. fuelleborni infects all haplorrhines sampled in this primate community, a different species might be infecting the slow loris, the only strepsirrhine in Borneo and one of the least studied primates in the region. Although more data are needed to support this conclusion, we propose that Strongyloides species in primates might be more diverse than previously thought, with potential implications for ecological and evolutionary host-parasite associations, as well as epidemiological dynamics.

Since the beginning of the last century, paleoparasitology has been focused on understanding the origin and evolution of infectious diseases, relying on archaeological and paleontological material to do so. A wide diversity of intestinal parasites has been retrieved from ancient remains, primarily from helminths (Gonçalves et al. 2003). However, although protozoa exhibit a global distribution, they are not recovered easily from archaeological contexts. This scarcity might be related to difficulties in detecting these organisms using traditional optical microscopy and to the sensitivity of parasitic structures, which are less resistant to taphonomic processes, leading to a low estimation of protozoa in the archaeological record.This literature review aims to identify and summarise the geographic distribution of protozoa in the archaeological record, with an emphasis on protozoa associated with humans, including both intestinal and tissue parasites and the methodologies used to study them in ancient remains. An electronic database search was performed targeting studies on protozoa in the fields of paleoparasitology, archaeology and paleopathology and authors showing previous research efforts on this subject. The search comprised all publications found on this topic in PubMed and ScienceDirect and their bibliographies were screened as well. The data extracted from the literature included parasite species, archaeological sites and dates, the methods applied and the results of the studies. There were no exclusions related to publication dates or languages. Methodological approaches to the identification of protozoaAlthough macroscopic examinations of lesions are generally limited to making observations of body preservation and the presence of specific landmarks, this technique is the most direct way of approaching disease in archaeological remains. For example, Chagas disease was diagnosed based on an altered large intestinal tract in a pre-Columbian mummy and later confirmed via molecular biological methods (Dittmar et al. 2003). However, this finding was exceptional, as the majority of infectious diseases will not be detected using such methodology. Consulting historical documents provides an indirect method for approximating protozoan infections. By reviewing medical documents, autopsy reports and original death certificates recorded by court physicians, Gino Fornaciari et al. (2010a, b) reconstructed the medical history of one of the most influential families of the Italian Renaissance, the Medici (Nerlich et al. 2012).In a similar manner, the origin of leishmaniasis in the Americas was discussed based on ethno-historical documents and anthropomorphic representations on Mochica ceramics (huacos) showing lesions similar to those found in mucous leishmaniasis (Altamirano-Enciso et al. 2003).Microscopy has been the traditional method for parasite identification in paleoparasitological analyses and the first protozoa found in fossilised faeces (coprolites) were described using this technique (Pizzi & Schenone 1954...

Strongyles are commonly reported parasites in studies of primate parasite biodiversity. Among them, nodule worm species are often overlooked as a serious concern despite having been observed to cause serious disease in nonhuman primates and humans. In this study, we investigated whether strongyles found in Bornean primates are the nodule worm Oesophagostomum spp., and to what extent these parasites are shared among members of the community. To test this, we propose two hypotheses that use the parasite genetic structure to infer transmission processes within the community. In the first scenario, the absence of parasite genetic substructuring would reflect high levels of parasite transmission among primate hosts, as primates’ home ranges overlap in the study area. In the second scenario, the presence of parasite substructuring would suggest cryptic diversity within the parasite genus and the existence of phylogenetic barriers to cross‐species transmission. By using molecular markers, we identify strongyles infecting this primate community as O. aculeatum , the only species of nodule worm currently known to infect Asian nonhuman primates. Furthermore, the little to no genetic substructuring supports a scenario with no phylogenetic barriers to transmission and where host movements across the landscape would enable gene flow between host populations. This work shows that the parasite's high adaptability could act as a buffer against local parasite extinctions. Surveys targeting human populations living in close proximity to nonhuman primates could help clarify whether this species of nodule worm presents the zoonotic potential found in the other two species infecting African nonhuman primates.

We conducted an exploratory serological survey to evaluate the exposure of Bornean wild carnivores to several viruses common to domestic felids, at interface areas between protected forest and industrial agriculture in the Kinabatangan floodplain (Sabah, Malaysia). Blood samples, collected from wild carnivores (n = 21) and domestic cats (n = 27), were tested for antibodies against feline coronavirus (FCoV), feline panleukopenia virus (FPLV), feline herpesvirus (FHV) and feline calicivirus (FCV), using commercial enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test kits. Anti‐FCoV antibodies were detected in most species, including one flat‐headed cat (Prionailurus planiceps, [1/2]), leopard cats (Prionailurus bengalensis, [2/5]), Malay civets (Viverra tangalunga, [2/11]) and domestic cats (Felis catus, [2/27]). Anti‐FCV antibodies were present in all domestic cats and one flat‐headed cat, while anti‐FPLV antibodies were identified in Sunda clouded leopards (Neofelis diardi, [2/2]), domestic cats [12/27] and Malay civets [2/11]. Anti‐FHV antibodies were only detected in domestic cats [2/27]. Our findings indicate pathogen transmission risk between domestic and wild carnivore populations at the domestic animal–wildlife interface, emphasizing the concern for wildlife conservation for several endangered wild carnivores living in the area. Special consideration should be given to species that benefit from their association with humans and have the potential to carry pathogens between forest and plantations (e.g., Malay civets and leopard cats). Risk reduction strategies should be incorporated and supported as part of conservation actions in human‐dominated landscapes.