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In the context of global change, endangered species such as sea turtles undergo strong population dynamics changes. Understanding demographic processes inducing such changes is critical for developing appropriate measures for conservation and management. Nesting females of the French Guiana population of leatherback sea turtles Dermochelys coriacea represented 40% of the world’s total in 2001; today, they represent only 10%. Here, we analyze data from the long-term monitoring program of leatherbacks in French Guiana, based on 28 yr of capture-mark-recapture data from 46051 individuals in northwestern French Guiana. We used multievent models (multistate capture-recapture models with state uncertainty) to represent the main peculiarity of the life cycle, intermittent reproduction, and to take advantage of the use of several different types of marks to account for mark loss and incomplete detection. The average annual adult survival probability (mean ± SE) 0.789 ± 0.009 is low compared to published estimates for this species. By combining the estimates of departure and return probabilities, we provide an estimate of the interval among laying seasons equal to 2.777 ± 0.118 yr, which matches previous findings. Taking survival into account, this interval translates into an average of 1.704 ± 0.034 further reproductive seasons for an adult female having just bred, which is remarkably low compared to other long-lived vertebrates. The representation of the life cycle and mark loss in our models provides a sound structure for broader and richer analyses to extract biological information from marked individuals and offers an invaluable source of demographic information on leatherbacks, a species for which only a small segment of the population is accessible to intermittent sampling.

The Gammaherpesvirinae sub-family is divided into two genera, the Lymphocryptovirus and the Rhadinovirus. Until recently, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), the human prototype of the Lymphocryptovirus genus, and simian homologues have only been detected in humans and Old World non-human primates. In other respects, the Rhadinovirus genus was only represented by Herpesvirus saimiri and Herpesvirus ateles of New World monkey species. Therefore, the general thinking at that time was that the separation of the continents resulted in drastic changes in the Gammaherpesvirinae evolution. The discovery of the human herpesvirus 8 (HHV8), belonging to the Rhadinovirus genus, followed by the identification of CalHV3 (Callitrichine herpesvirus 3) a lymphocryptovirus of marmoset, challenged this old paradigm. The recent description of numerous viruses belonging to the Gammaherpesvirinae subfamily from different Old and NewWorld primate species let to develop and to support co-speciational evolution hypotheses of these viruses and their hosts. This review focuses on our current knowledge of the genetic diversity and evolution of primate Gammaherpesvirinae.

SummaryThe drivers of periodic population cycling by some animal species in northern systems remain unresolved1. Mysterious disappearances of populations of the Neotropical, herdforming white-lipped peccary (Tayassu pecari, henceforth “WLP”) have been anecdotally documented and explained as local events resulting from migratory movements or overhunting2,3,4, or as disease outbreaks5,6, and have not been considered in the context of large-scale species-specific population dynamics. Here we present evidence that WLP disappearances represent troughs in population cycles that occur with regular periodicity and are synchronized at regional and perhaps continent-wide spatial scales. Analysis of 43 disappearance events and 88 years of commercial and subsistence harvesting data reveals boom – bust population cycles lasting from 20 to 30 years, in which a rapid population crash occurring over 1 to 5 years is followed by a period of absence of 7 to12 years and then a slow growth phase. Overhunting alone cannot explain the crashes, but as in northern systems dispersal during the growth phase appears to play a key role. This is the first documentation of population cycling in a tropical vertebrate.

An important goal of evolutionary and conservation biology is the identification of units below the species level, such as Evolutionarily Significant Units (ESUs), providing objectively delimited units for species conservation and management. In this study we tested the hypothesis that Cuvier’s dwarf caiman (Paleosuchus palpebrosus)—a species broadly distributed across several biomes and watersheds of South America—is comprised of different ESUs. We analyzed mitochondrial cytochrome b sequences of 206 individuals and 532 unlinked ddRAD loci of 20 individuals chosen from amongst the mitochondrial haplogroups. Analysis of the cytochrome b sequences revealed four mitochondrial clusters, while STRUCTURE analysis of ddRAD loci detected three genomic clusters with different levels of mixture between them. Using the Adaptive Evolutionary Conservation (AEC) framework we identified three ESUs: “Amazon”, “Madeira-Bolivia” and “Pantanal”; one of them composed of two different Management Units (MUs), “Madeira” and “Bolivia”. In general, based on the comparisons with other crocodilian species, genetic diversity of each lineage was moderate however, the Madeira MU showed fivefold lower genetic diversity than other geographic groups. Considering the particularities of each Paleosuchus palpebrosus conservation unit, we recommend that the conservation status of each is evaluated separately. Tropical biodiversity is largely underestimated and in this context the broadly distributed species are the most likely candidates to harbor distinct evolutionary lineages. Thus, we suggest that conservation research should not neglect species that are generally considered of Least Concern by IUCN due to the taxon’s broad geographic distribution.

Thanks to high-throughput sequencing (HTS) and dedicated bioinformatics tools, it is possible to study all viruses present in a sample with an unprecedented detection of viral diversity. Applied to wildlife and humans, HTS becomes a powerful means to understand viral emerging infectious diseases. BLAST searches to find remote homolog sequences after an assembly of shotgun-generated sequences are often used to analyze virome datasets. However, this process might be biased by molecular biology approaches (use of whole genome/transcriptome amplification) and bioinformatics assembly that can induce chimeric sequences formation. Our objective was to identify confounding factors (molecular biology and bioinformatics) that can bias virome composition. Hence, we studied the viromes from cloacal swab samples of two migratory birds. Viral DNA and RNA were extracted using three different methods (easymag®, phenol, and trizol), followed by whole genome amplification (WGA)/WTA amplifications, before Illumina MiSeq sequencing. After trimming and assembly, sequences underwent BLAST (BLASTn and BLASTx). At the end of the first BLAST (n/x), some portions of sequences were uncovered and unassigned. We, then, implemented a novel recursive split-resubmit python program that searched for homologs of > 50 base pairs (bp), uncovering parts for a better exploitation of the datasets. Thirty-eight known viral families were detected in our samples. Circoviridae, Parvoviridae, and Microviridae were found in the majority of the results from easymag® and Phenol extracted samples, while trizol samples resulted in a majority of Picornaviridae and Coronaviridae. These results show that the viromes are of different composition depending on extraction methods. Most of the viral sequences were predominantly identified at the blastx step reflecting a high level of divergence with known viral sequences. Compared to a unique BLAST search, our resubmission pipeline allowed the assignment of up to 23 per cent of the viral sequences. Most of these sequences belonged to taxa already observed at the first blast step and few viral sequences of different families were detected. Knowing the complementarities between extraction methods and a better identification of viral sequences using our pipeline, the next step will be to get a precise position of each viral genomic segment in phylogenetic distance-based tree that will give a more accurate representation of viral diversity.

Accelerometers are becoming ever more important sensors in animal-attached technology, providing data that allow determination of body posture and movement and thereby helping elucidate behaviour in animals that are difficult to observe.We sought to validate the identification of sea turtle behaviours from accelerometer signals by deploying tags on the carapace of a juvenile loggerhead (Caretta caretta), an adult hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) and an adult green turtle (Chelonia mydas) at Aquarium La Rochelle. We recorded tri-axial acceleration at 50Hz for each species for a full day while two fixed cameras recorded their behaviours. We identified behaviours from the acceleration data using two different supervised learning algorithms; Random Forest and Classification And Regression Tree (CART), treating the data from the adult animals as separate from the juvenile data. We achieved a global accuracy of 81.30% for the adult turtle CART model and 71.63% for the juvenile loggerhead, identifying 10 and 12 different behaviours, respectively. Equivalent figures were 86.96% for the hawksbill and green turtle Random Forest model and 79.49% for the loggerhead, for the same behaviours. The use of Random Forest combined with CART algorithms allowed us to understand the decision rules implicated in behaviour discrimination, and thus remove or group together some “confused” or underrepresented behaviours in order to get the most accurate models. This study is the first to validate accelerometer data to identify turtle behaviours and the approach can now be tested on other captive sea turtle species.

International audience; Leptospirosis is a cosmopolitan zoonosis caused by bacteria of the genus Leptospira. Whether the distribution is worldwide, the hot and humid climate of the tropics is particularly conducive to its expansion. In most French overseas departments and territories, leptospirosis is considered as a public health problem. In French Guiana, a French department located in the northeastern part of the Amazon rainforest, it is supposed to be rare. The objective of this review was to make an inventory of the knowledge on human and animal leptospirosis in French Guiana and neighboring countries. A comprehensive search was conducted through the indexed and informal medical literature in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese. Thus, respectively ten and four publications were identified on human and animal leptospirosis in French Guiana, published between 1940 and 1995 in the form of case reports or case series. The publications concerning this disease in the other countries of the Guiana Shield, eastern Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and Brazilian state of Amapá, also scarce or nonexistent. However recent data from the French National Centre of leptospirosis showed a recent and sudden increase in the number of cases in the department, probably partly due to the development of diagnostic tools such as Elisa IgM serology. It is likely that leptospirosis is a neglected disease in the region, due to the lack of diagnostic tools readily available, the lack of knowledge of the local clinicians on this disease and the existence of many other pathogens with similar clinical presentation such as malaria, arboviruses and Q fever and Amazonian toxoplasmosis. The establishment of more large-scale studies on animal and human leptospirosis is necessary and urgent to know the true burden of this disease in our region.

Introduction Le tatou a 9 bandes (Dasypus novemcinctus) est un reservoir de Mycobacterium leprae dans les Ameriques. Les contacts des tatous avec les humains sont frequents, du fait de leur proximite avec l’homme et de la frequente consommation de leur viande. Des cas humains de lepre par transmission zoonotique par les tatous sauvages ont ete confirmes dans le sud des Etats-Unis. Cependant, il existe peu de donnees sur les tatous dans le bassin Amazonien (D. novemcinctus et autres especes), bien que ces tatous y soient tres presents et frequemment consommes. L’objectif de notre etude est d’evaluer l’infection a M. leprae chez deux especes de tatous presents en Guyane, D. novemcinctus et Dasypus kappleri. Materiel et methodes L’ADN bacterien peut etre detecte dans les tissus reticuloendotheliaux des tatous sauvages. A un stade avance de l’infection, les anticorps anti-PGL-1 sont aussi detectables dans le serum de l’animal. Nous avons analyse la collection de serums de D. novemcinctus et D. kappleri sauvages, captures lors de la mise en eau du barrage de Petit-Saut entre 1994 et 1995. La presence des anticorps anti-PGL-1 a ete analysee par ELISA au laboratoire du National Hansen's Disease Program de Baton-Rouge. Depuis 2014, nous recoltons aussi des echantillons de tatous sauvages morts sur les bords de route ou aupres des chasseurs sur l’ensemble du territoire. Nous avons analyse la presence de M. leprae dans des echantillons de peau, de ganglions, de rate et de foie par PCR en temps reel sur la cible RLEP, un element repetitif specifique a M. leprae. Resultats Sur la collection du barrage de Petit-Saut, 6,6 % (8/120) des serums de D. novemcinctus et aucun des serums de D. kappleri (0/42) contenaient des anticorps anti-PGL-1. Parmi les 50 specimens analyses par approche moleculaire, nous avons 44 D. novemcinctus et 6 D. kappleri, sur lesquels 90 echantillons de tissus differents ont ete analyses. Au total, 2,3 % des D. novemcinctus (1/44) ont ete confirmes positifs sur des tissus de foie et de ganglion inguinal. Sur les 6 D. kappleri testes, un individu a ete teste positif sur un echantillon de ganglion mesenterique mais teste negatif sur un fragment de tissu splenique. Discussion Nous presentons les premiers resultats sur l’infection a M. leprae de tatous sauvages en Guyane, qui confirment l’infection de tatous a 9 bandes. A notre connaissance, il s’agit aussi des premiers resultats concernant la detection de M. leprae chez D. kappleri, qui est present dans tout le bassin amazonien. Conclusion La poursuite de la recolte des echantillons de tatou et de leur analyse, ainsi que la comparaison des souches animales et humaines, nous permettra d’identifier des reservoirs amazoniens de la maladie et d’evaluer la possibilite d’une transmission zoonotique de la lepre sur le plateau des Guyanes.

Leptospirosis is a cosmopolitan zoonosis caused by bacteria of the genus Leptospira. Whether the distribution is worldwide, the hot and humid climate of the tropics is particularly conducive to its expansion. In most French overseas departments and territories, leptospirosis is considered as a public health problem. In French Guiana, a French department located in the northeastern part of the Amazon rainforest, it is supposed to be rare. The objective of this review was to make an inventory of the knowledge on human and animal leptospirosis in French Guiana and neighboring countries. A comprehensive search was conducted through the indexed and informal medical literature in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese. Thus, respectively ten and four publications were identified on human and animal leptospirosis in French Guiana, published between 1940 and 1995 in the form of case reports or case series. The publications concerning this disease in the other countries of the Guiana Shield, eastern Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and Brazilian state of Amapá, also scarce or nonexistent. However recent data from the French National Centre of leptospirosis showed a recent and sudden increase in the number of cases in the department, probably partly due to the development of diagnostic tools such as Elisa IgM serology. It is likely that leptospirosis is a neglected disease in the region, due to the lack of diagnostic tools readily available, the lack of knowledge of the local clinicians on this disease and the existence of many other pathogens with similar clinical presentation such as malaria, arboviruses and Q fever and Amazonian toxoplasmosis. The establishment of more large-scale studies on animal and human leptospirosis is necessary and urgent to know the true burden of this disease in our region.

Among over 40 mammal species threatened by the filling of a hydroelectric dam reservoir in French Guiana, three species of primates have been translocated, comprising 124 red howler monkeys, six white-faced sakis, and 95 golden-handed tamarins. Health status of the animals was evaluated by direct physical examination and by hematological, biochemical, virological, and parasitological surveys of collected blood. The physical condition of the howlers was slightly worse toward the end of the capture period, but that of sakis and tamarins remained satisfactory. Several ectoparasites (ticks, larvae of dipterous insects, fleas, and lice) were collected, and various wounds, apparently nondebilitating, were recorded in howlers. Hematological and biochemical profiles determined for the three species revealed a slight anemia in howlers. Entamoeba, Strongyloides, and Trypanoxyurus were common in fecal samples of howlers. A survey of blood smears from the three species revealed infection by several types of microfilaria, Trypanosoma rangeli-like and Plasmodium brasilianum in all three, and Trypanosoma cruzi-like in howlers. These infections had no significant impact on the health status or the hematological profiles. Serologic investigations revealed occasional reactions against Toxoplasma gondii, a strong anti-Plasmodium response in the two Cebidae species, and a weaker one in tamarins. Attempts to isolate arbovirus failed, but antibody responses to Mayaro and yellow fever viruses were strong, especially in the howlers. A strong correlation between age and serological status led to a better understanding of the epidemic cycles. Our survey indicates French Guianan primates are reservoirs for several anthropozoonoses, including malaria, Chagas disease, and arboviruses.

La gestion des ressources naturelles est une preoccupation recente en Guyane. Les sites d'etude se multiplient dorenavant sur le territoire. L'evaluation des impacts de la chasse et de l'exploitation forestiere sur les populations de grands mammiferes et oiseaux constitue un axe de recherche privilegie. Les methodes d'inventaire par transects lineaires sont classiquement utilisees pour estimer l'abondance des especes, mais une standardisation des protocoles demeure imperative. La bibliographie abordant les questions de methodologie est abondante, mais souvent axee vers des considerations theoriques, en general peu pragmatiques. L'objet de cet article est de presenter la methode des transects lineaires de maniere concise, concrete, puis les resultats de son application dans une foret tropicale humide. Afin d'evaluer les abondances des grands mammiferes dans une zone destinee a l'exploitation forestiere, pres de 300 km de transects lineaires ont ete effectues en 1998. Les donnees relatives aux differentes especes de primates sont plus particulierement etudiees pour montrer les variations inherentes aux differentes methodes de calcul lors de l'estimation des densites. La zone prospectee etant soumise a une certaine pression de chasse, l'impact de cette activite de prelevement apparait enfin, surtout les grands primates et les pecaris, especes de choix pour les chasseurs locaux.

Monkey blood samples were collected from 214 monkeys relocated as part of the wildlife rescue organized in French Guiana during the filling of the Petit Saut Dam on the Sinnamary River. These samples were tested for malaria parasites by microscopy of thick blood films and by nested PCR for small subunit rRNA genes (SSUrRNA). Parasitic blood forms similar to Plasmodium brasilianum were detected in 4 monkey species: Alouatta seniculus macconnelli, Saguinus midas midas, Pithecia pithecia and Ateles paniscus paniscus, with the highest prevalence in Alouatta monkeys. PCR was more sensitive than the conventional method for detecting low-grade parasitaemia in positive monkeys. The examination of blood films indicated that 5·6% of the animals carried parasites whereas the nested PCR for ribosomal DNA indicated a prevalence of 11·3%. The P. brasilianum SSUrRNA gene sequence was analysed and aligned with those from P. malariae, P. falciparum and P. vivax. This suggested that P. brasilianum and P. malariae are very closely related. Similar results were obtained from analysis of the sequences in P. malariae and P. brasilianum isolates of a polymorphic gene fragment analogous to the merozoite surface protein-1 (MSP-1) gene of P. falciparum. The P. brasilianum/P. malariae sequences were more similar to those of P. vivax than to those of P. falciparum, at least in the gene region examined. The high degree of DNA homology in the sequences of the SSUrRNA and msp1-like genes is consistent with other characterizations demonstrating a taxonomic relationship between P. brasilianum and P. malariae species. Our results provide further evidence that P. brasilianum and P. malariae are virtually identical and should probably be considered to be a single malaria species. This raises the question as to whether monkeys living in the rainforest are natural reservoirs for both simian and human malaria. These results have implications for the interpretation of the current epidemiological situation in French Guiana.

The Perissodactyla order is a very old group of mammals (around 60 Millions years ago, MYA). In the fossil record, there are representative specimens from five main superfamilies (Tapiroidea, Rhinocerotoidea, Chalicotheroidea, Equoidea and Brontotheroidea) including 14 different families (Savage and Long 1986; Holbrook 1999), although the phylogenetic relationships among these superfamilies are not well resolved. The order had its maximum diversity peak during the Eocene, but during the upper Oligocene, 10 of the 14 families became extinct (Radinsky 1969; Froehlich 1999; MacFadden 1992; Metais et al. 2006). Currently, only three superfamilies and three families are present (Tapiridae, Rhinocerotidae and Equidae).

International audience; In French Guiana, severe cases of toxoplasmosis in immunocompetent patients are associated with atypical strains of Toxoplasma gondii linked to a wild neotropical rainforest cycle and a higher genetic diversity than usually observed for T. gondii isolates from anthropized environment. This raises the question of the impact of anthropization of the natural environment, on genetic diversity and on the population structure of T. gondii. However, few data are available on strains circulating in the anthropized areas from French Guiana. Seropositive animals originating mainly from anthropized sub-urban areas and punctually from wild environment in French Guiana were analyzed for T. gondii isolation and genotyping. Thirty-three strains were obtained by bioassay in mice and compared with 18 previously reported isolates chiefly originating from the Amazon rainforest. The genotyping analysis performed with 15 microsatellite markers located on 12 different chromosomes revealed a lower genetic diversity in the anthropized environment. Results were analyzed in terms of population structure by clustering methods, Neighbor-joining trees reconstruction based on genetic distances, F(ST,) Mantel's tests and linkage disequilibrium. They clearly showed a genetic differentiation between strains associated to the anthropized environment and those associated to the wild, but with some inbreeding between them. The majority of strains from the anthropized environment were clustered into additional lineages of T. gondii that are common in the Caribbean. In conclusion the two environmental populations "wild" and "anthropized" were genetically well differentiated. The anthropization of the environment seems to be accompanied with a decreased diversity of T. gondii associated with a greater structure of the populations. We detected potential interpenetration and genetic exchanges between these two environmental populations. As a higher pathogenicity in human of "wild" genotypes has been described, the interpenetration of both environments leads to hybridization between strains that may be at risk for human health.

Hantaviruses are rodent-borne negative-sense RNA viruses belonging to the Bunyaviridae family, genus Hantavirus. These emerging viruses cause cardiopulmonary syndrome in North and South America, which is a respiratory illness following the inhalation of dust contaminated by infectious rodent feces or urine. Until recently, no information was available related to the presence of hantavirus in French Guyana, a French department in South America. Nevertheless, the description of atypical pneumonia cases unrelated to any known etiological agent and the identification of hantavirus reservoirs in neighboring countries led us to conduct a serological study in a collection of sera from patients who had presented compatible symptoms: the prevalence of IgG antibodies to hantavirus in this population was 1.42%. After those retroactive results, systematic hantavirus serology screening was implemented in every newcoming patient with suggestive etiology. This led us to identify a native case in French Guyana. After this first case, a second case was registered 1 year later in December 2009 (in a periurban area). Molecular analyses were conducted to characterize genetically these two strains of hantavirus. Complete sequences of the S segment were obtained and phylogenetic analyses confirmed that strains isolated in French Guyana and tentatively named Maripa virus belong to the Rio Mamore species. Human hantavirus epidemics are associated with fluctuations of rodent populations, caused by climatic, ecological and environmental changes, or growing human activities associated with nature or agriculture. In Guyana, 90% of the land is still tropical rain forest, but economic development results in growing pressures on natural habitats. Continuous surveillance of the virus in the human population would be beneficial. Furthermore, surveys of potential reservoirs may help to understand hantavirus dispersion and to reduce the risk of viral emergence.

International audience; A serological survey for yellow fever virus (YFV), dengue 2 virus (DENV-2), and St Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV) was undertaken using a seroneutralization technique in 27 wild forest mammal species (574 individuals) in French Guiana. Evidence of yellow fever infection was observed in 10 species, with high prevalence recorded in howler monkey (18%) and agouti (20%). Antibodies against DENV-2 and SLEV were found sporadically in various species. This potential host diversity and the range of potential vectors might explain the behaviour of the viruses in epidemic outbreaks and the emergence of periurban loci.

The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of Toxoplasma infection in wild mammals, particularly noncarnivorous species, and to identify possible sources of infection for humans. A serological study was conducted that included 310 animals representing 10 species of terrestrial mammals from the same region (primary tropical rain forest inhabited by humans). Toxoplasmosis was diagnosed using a direct agglutination test using formalin-treated Toxoplasma gondii. The prevalence of antibodies for toxoplasmosis differed greatly between species and ranged from 0% to 62%. The seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis was zero or very low for tree-dwelling animals, which included sloth, porcupine, and howler monkey. Conversely, the prevalence of infection was 46-62% among granivores, insectivores, and burrowing animals, such as peccary, paca, and armadillo. We conclude that wild mammals in French Guiana constitute a reservoir of T. gondii parasites. Given the absence of domestic cats from the forest, noncarnivorous species may be infected by the ingestion of oocysts that are eliminated into the soil or water in the stools of wild cats and then dispersed.

Among over 40 mammal species threatened by the filling of a hydroelectric dam reservoir in French Guiana, three species of primates have been translocated, comprising 124 red howler monkeys, six white-faced sakis, and 95 golden-handed tamarins. Health status of the animals was evaluated by direct physical examination and by hematological, biochemical, virological, and parasitological surveys of collected blood. The physical condition of the howlers was slightly worse toward the end of the capture period, but that of sakis and tamarins remained satisfactory. Several ectoparasites (ticks, larvae of dipterous insects, fleas, and lice) were collected, and various wounds, apparently nondebilitating, were recorded in howlers. Hematological and biochemical profiles determined for the three species revealed a slight anemia in howlers. Entamoeba, Strongyloides, and Trypanoxyurus were common in fecal samples of howlers. A survey of blood smears from the three species revealed infection by several types of microfilaria, Trypanosoma rangeli-like and Plasmodium brasilianum in all three, and Trypanosoma cruzi-like in howlers. These infections had no significant impact on the health status or the hematological profiles. Serologic investigations revealed occasional reactions against Toxoplasma gondii, a strong anti-Plasmodium response in the two Cebidae species, and a weaker one in tamarins. Attempts to isolate arbovirus failed, but antibody responses to Mayaro and yellow fever viruses were strong, especially in the howlers. A strong correlation between age and serological status led to a better understanding of the epidemic cycles. Our survey indicates French Guianan primates are reservoirs for several anthropozoonoses, including malaria, Chagas disease, and arboviruses.

Splenectomised Saimiri sciureus squirrel monkeys are being used increasingly as an experimental host for human malarial studies, notably for the assessment of candidate vaccines against Plasmodium falciparum blood-stage infection. Recently, we have reported that colony-reared S. sciureus monkeys are asymptomatic carriers of Haemobartonella sp. and that patent Haemobartonella infection, activated following splenectomy, may interfere with the course of P. falciparum parasitaemia in these animals. For several years, splenectomised S. sciureus monkeys were routinely submitted to oxytetracycline therapy before their use in malarial studies in order to prevent a possible spontaneous Heamobartonella infection. However, we report here that such antibiotic therapy is often ineffective and that neoarsphenamine chemotherapy may be considered as an alternative to cure both latent and patent haemobartonellosis in S. sciureus monkeys.

One hundred twenty-two wild red howler monkeys (Alouatta seniculus) were translocated during flooding of the forest at a hydroelectric dam site in French Guiana. Blood samples from 103 animals were evaluated for 13 hematologic and/or 22 serum chemistry parameters. Significant age-specific variation was found for white blood cell (WBC), lymphocyte, and platelet counts and for alkaline phosphatase values. Adult males and females had significant differences in red blood cell count, packed cell volume, and hemoglobin, creatinine, cholesterol, and calcium values. In juveniles, amylase and cholesterol levels were significantly lower in males than in females. Significant differences associated with reproductive status were also observed; i.e., lower cholesterol level in pregnant females and higher packed cell volume in lactating females. Chronic stress due to habitat disappearance may have been responsible for significant differences between thin animals and those in good condition. Thin animals had lower WBC, eosinophil, basophil, and monocyte counts and higher platelet counts. Capture stress was probably responsible for high and variable levels of creatine kinase, aspartate aminotransferase, and lactate dehydrogenase.

Although the natural resources in French Guiana are generally well preserved, rapid growth in the human population increasingly threatens their sustainability in many areas. A few studies have been conducted on the effects of timber harvesting on wildlife in French Guiana and others are in progress. In contrast, the effects of hunting have not been quantified, and the few existing hunting regulations are rarely complied with and poorly enforced. Despite evidence of increased scarcity of game species, no wildlife management policy has yet been implemented. This article describes the effects of timber harvesting and hunting on wildlife, as well as the hunting behaviors and legislation in French Guiana. Based on findings in other Latin American countries and on personal observations made over many years spent in French Guiana, the authors make recommendations for the formulation of an effective conservation policy., Bien que les ressources naturelles soient encore largement préservées en Guyane, l'augmentation rapide de la pression démographique menace de plus en plus leur pérennité. Un nombre limité de travaux sur les impacts de l'exploitation forestière a été effectué en Guyane et de nouvelles études sont en cours. En revanche, aucune étude n'a permis d'évaluer l'impact de la chasse. Les dispositions légales sont peu respectées, et malgré des signes évidents de raréfaction de la faune, aucune politique de gestion n'existe encore. Les effets de l'exploitation forestière et de la chasse sur les grandes espèces sont présentés dans cet article, puis, sur la base des résultats obtenus dans d'autres pays d'Amérique du Sud et d'observations personnelles effectuées au cours de nombreuses années de présence en Guyane, quelques suggestions sont faites dans l'optique de l'élaboration d'une politique de conservation., de Thoisy Benoît, Vié Jean-Christophe. Faune et activités humaines : exploitation forestière et chasse en Guyane française. In: Journal d'agriculture traditionnelle et de botanique appliquée, 40ᵉ année, bulletin n°1-2,1998. Conserver, gérer la biodiversité : quelle stratégie pour la Guyane ? sous la direction de Marie Fleury et Odile Poncy. pp. 103-120.

International audience; La posición filogenética de los monos ardilla (género Saimiri) dentro del infraorden Platyrrhini es aún debatida. De hecho, hay un gran número de especies y subespecies de este género que tienen mucha plasticidad fenotípica. La taxonomía subgenérica y sistemática de los micos ardilla, basada en varias bases de datos con caracteres morfológicos, de comportamiento, citología y origen geográfico, ha resultado en una clasificación confusa. Revisiones sucesivas llevaron a inferencias disímiles, identificando de una hasta siete especies y 16 subespecies diferentes. Recientemente, los caracteres moleculares han aportado un marco coherente para entender la sistemática de los micos ardilla en el Neotrópico, indicando 4 clados distintos (Saimiri oerstedii, Saimiri sciureus, Saimiri boliviensis y Saimiri ustus). Dependiendo del gen de interés (mitocondrial o nuclear), la divergencia entre S. sciureus y S. boliviensis fue datada en 1.2 a 6.4 millones de años. Nosotros enfocamos nuestro análisis en Individuos de Saimiri principalmente de la cuenca amazónica. Sus relaciones filogenéticas fueron inferidas a partir de secuencias de nucleótidos del gen del Citocromo B. Estudiamos 38 micos ardilla salvajes y con un origen geográfico bien definido. Un total de 20 haplotipos diferentes de ADN mitocondrial fueron encontrados, con una divergencia máxima de secuencias del 4.6%, observada entre los individuos bolivianos y de la Guyana. Los diferentes clados descritos por Cropp y Boinski (2000a) fueron confirmados y nuevos grupos fueron evidenciados, correspondiendo a S. s. macrodon, S. s. albigena, S. s. cassiquiarensis, y S. s. collinsi. Nuestros datos concuerdan con la taxonomía propuesta por Hershkovitz (1984) y revela una gran cantidad de diversidad genética dentro del género. Basados en estos análisis moleculares, investigamos hipótesis concernientes a la diversificación y dispersión de los micos ardilla en Sur América. Los resultados sugieren que los ríos (como barreras) y los refugios pueden haber contribuido en la estructuración de estas poblaciones. Futuros análisis moleculares, comportamentales y morfológicos son necesarios para afinar el estatus taxonómico de este género.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0276297.]., (Copyright: © 2024 Fragoso et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)