Center for Zoonoses Research at the University of Illinois
Veterinary Student Summer Training Program
2008 Mentor Profile
Mark Kuhlenschmidt
Professor and Assistant Department Head ,
Pathobiology
Title
Project Description:
Effects of Logging on Patterns of Infection with Cryptosporidium sp., Giardia sp., and Cyclospora sp. in Gorillas and Chimpanzees in the Republic of Congo.
Mentors: Dr. Thomas Gillespie (Pathobiology / Anthropology) Dr. Mark Kuhlenschmidt (Pathobiology)
There is growing recognition of the importance of land-use change & human-wildlife linkages in disease emergence & ecosystem health. We recently completed a series of investigations demonstrating that certain disturbance-related features of degraded forests are excellent predictors of infection rates in primates and of the prevalence of parasites shared between primates and humans in and around Kibale National Park in Uganda. Do these same relationships hold when we scale up to the regional level? This project will compare patterns of parasite infection in free-ranging western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla) and chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) between a paired track of undisturbed forest (> 1,000 km2) and a neighboring active logging concession (> 1,000 km2) in the Republic of Congo (Nouabale-Ndoki National Park / Kabo Logging Concession). Preserved ape fecal samples have already been transported to the University of Illinois. The mentee will work closely with Drs. Gillespie and Kuhlenschmidt using Immunofluorescent microscopy and pathogen-specific test kits to identify and quantify infection with the specialized pathogenic protozoa Cryptosporidium sp., Giardia sp., and Cyclospora sp.