Treponematosis in critically endangered Western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) in Senegal

Treponematoses encompass a group of chronic and debilitating bacterial diseases transmitted sexually or by direct contact and attributed to Treponema pallidum. Despite being documented since as far back as 1963, the epidemiology of treponematoses in wild primates has remained an uninvestigated territory due to the inherent challenges associated with conducting examinations and obtaining invasive biological samples from wild animals. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the presence of treponemal infections in the critically endangered Western chimpanzees in Senegal, utilizing an innovative non-invasive stool serology method. We provide compelling evidence of the existence of anti-Treponema-specific antibodies in 13 out of 29 individual chimpanzees. Our study also underscores the significant potential of stool serology as a valuable non-invasive tool for monitoring and surveilling crucial emerging diseases in wild animals. We recognize two major implications: (1) the imperative need to develop protective and interventional measures aimed at conserving chimpanzees and (2) the necessity to evaluate the risks posed by wild non-human primates as potential reservoirs of human treponematoses.