Behavioral determinants and consequences of the natural spread of a sexuallytransmitted disease in wild olive baboons (Papio anubis)

性传播疾病（STD）是塑造哺乳动物免疫防御进化的主要生态力量，此外还可能对交配系统的进化产生影响。尽管性传播疾病在人群中的传播在很大程度上取决于一个物种的交配行为，即交配伴侣的数量和每个伴侣的交配次数，但动物，如非人灵长类动物，是否已经发展出适应性对策来应对增加的性传播疾病风险或感染，在很大程度上仍然是未知的。这样的对策可能涉及卫生行为，如交配后的自我清洁生殖器或排尿，改变择偶偏好非感染的交配partners，这可能会导致，在群居灵长类动物的情况下，甚至迁移到non-infected groups.In我们的项目中，我们将调查人口的橄榄狒狒（Papio anubis）在坦桑尼亚的马尼亚拉湖国家公园（LMNP）。橄榄狒狒生活在相对较大的社会群体中，原则上表现出滥交的交配行为。LMNP群体被梅毒螺旋体细菌感染，该细菌在人类中引起几种疾病（例如梅毒），并且在狒狒中在雄性和雌性中引起巨大的、非常明显的生殖器溃疡。这些溃疡表明这些人被感染了。很可能是T梅毒是通过性接触传播的。为了测试配偶选择和交配后行为是否会因潜在交配伴侣的可见感染迹象而改变，我们将定量分析交配行为（例如交配伴侣数量，性接触次数），交配后自我梳理，交配后排尿与相应交配伴侣的健康状况的关系。作为可能影响配偶选择和交配策略的共同因素，我们将包括优势等级，年龄（男性和女性）和女性的生殖状态。这些数据将用于构建一个交配网络，代表性病传播的潜在途径。在一个模拟模型中，它结合了网络和性传播疾病的回避行为和狒狒的人口统计数据，我们将收集从狒狒人口调查LMNP和其他一般狒狒生活史数据的文献，我们将能够评估长期的疾病动态。使用模拟模型的输出，我们将确定观察到的狒狒种群中超级传播者的关键社会和人口统计学特征，值得注意的是，该模型最终可用于预测治疗狒狒的最小数量，以使种群低于流行阈值。

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) represent a major ecological force in shaping the evolution of mammalian immune defences and additionally might have an impact on the evolution of mating systems. Whereas the spread of STDs in a population largely depends on the mating behaviour of a species, i.e. the number of mating partners and the number of matings per partner, it remains largely unknown whether animals, such as nonhuman primates have developed adaptive counterstrategies in response to increased STD-risk or acquisition. Such counterstrategies can involve hygienic behaviours, such as post-copulatory self-cleaning of genitals or urination, change in mate choice with a preference for non-infected mating partners, which might, in case of gregarious primates lead even to a migration into noninfected groups.In our project we will investigate a population of olive baboons (Papio anubis) at Lake Manyara National Park (LMNP) in Tanzania. Olive baboons live in relatively large social groups and show, in principle, a promiscuous mating behaviour. The LMNP-population is infected by the bacterium Treponema pallidum which causes several diseases in humans (e.g. syphilis) and in baboons massive, highly conspicuous genital ulcerations in males and females. These ulcerations signal that such individuals are infected. Most likely T. pallidum is transmitted by sexual contacts. To test whether mate choice and post-copulatory behaviour are altered by visible sign of infection in potential mating partners, we will quantitatively analyse mating behaviour (e.g. number of mating partner, number of sexual contacts), postcoital self-grooming, post-copulatory urination in relation to the health status of the respective mating partner. As possible co-factors influencing mate choice and mating strategies, we will include dominance rank, age (males and females) and in females also reproductive state. The data will be used to construct a mating network that represents potential routes for STD spread. In a simulation model, which incorporates network and STD avoidance behaviour and baboon demographic data, which we will gather from baboon population surveys in LMNP and additional general baboon life history data from the literature, we will be able to assess longterm disease dynamics. Using outputs from simulation model we will identify key social and demographic characteristics of superspreaders in the observed baboon population, and notably, this model could ultimately be used to predict the minimum number of baboons to treat in order to bring the population below epidemic threshold.