Gastrointestinal parasites of zoonotic importance in Cercopithecus mona of Tafi Atome monkey sanctuary in the Afadjato South District of Ghana

Tafi Atome monkey sanctuary, a conserved grove for many troops of mona monkeys is a major tourist site in Ghana. The human communities near the sanctuary create opportunities for pathogen exchange given the encounters between the wildlife and human population on daily basis. This study assessed the gastro-intestinal parasitic infection in the monkeys and the human populations and the potential zoonotic importance. Stool samples of school-aged children and faecal samples of mona monkeys were collected, processed and examined microscopically for parasite infection. Two different sets of structured questionnaires were administered to two categories of respondents — one to school pupils from whom stool samples were collected. The other group targeted adult residents of the study area for their perception about the monkey sanctuary, human interactions with the monkeys and the knowledge on any disease transmission. In all, 347 school children were interviewed and from whom stool samples were collected for examination. Another 87 faecal samples from mona monkeys were examined. A total of four genera of gastrointestinal parasites comprising hookworm, Strongyloides sp., Ascaris lumbricoides and Giardia sp. were identified in samples of both humans and the monkeys. Schistosoma mansoni eggs were seen in the sample of mona monkeys, whereas Trichuris trichiura and Entamoeba sp. were identified in the school children. The difference in prevalence of the intestinal parasites identified from the sampling communities was not statistically significant for both protozoans and helminths. Whereas the difference in prevalence of protozoan parasites in humans and mona monkeys was not significant, the difference in prevalence of hookworm in humans and mona monkeys was statistically significant [χ² = 10.22; p = 0.00]. The observations bring to bear the epidemiological challenge that may exist as the mona monkeys could serve as reservoir hosts, thereby hampering control efforts of these intestinal parasites.