Informing primate health management: linking host behavior to disease transmission

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The aim of the research is to foster a better understanding of pathogen transmission in social animals. The study of pathogens expressing enough genetic diversity that different strains can be identified helps tracking transmission characteristics, e.g. simian foamy virus (SFV) and E. coli. Strain genetic profile is then linked to individual social profile: individuals more frequently in contact with each other should share more similar strains than others. The fellow collected data on two groups of two species of socially-housed captive macaques at the PRI. Early analyses show that young macaques seem not infected by SFV before reaching 2 yo. Strain sharing within a dyad seems related to similarity in age and to grooming frequency, indicating horizontal or oblique transmission.