Human Virus Linked to Deaths of Endangered Mountain Gorillas; Finding Confirms That Serious Diseases Can Pass to Gorillas from People
Date: 30.3.2011
For the first time, a virus that causes respiratory disease in humans has been linked to the deaths of wild mountain gorillas, reports a team of researchers in the United States and Africa.
The finding confirms that serious diseases can pass from people to these endangered animals.
Their study, which reports the 2009 deaths of two mountain gorilla that were infected with a human virus, was published online by the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, a publication of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"Because there are fewer than 800 living mountain gorillas, each individual is critically important to the survival of their species," said Mike Cranfield, executive director of the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project and a UC Davis wildlife veterinarian. "But mountain gorillas are surrounded by people, and this discovery makes it clear that living in protected national parks is not a barrier to human diseases."
For more information:
