Epidemiological monitoring of Gastrointestinal Helminthes of two wild Galagos: Galagoides demidovii and Sciurocheirus gabonensis (Primates, Galagidae) originated from Democratic Republic of the Congo

Recent findings indicate that Non-human primates (NHP) serve as important reservoirs of parasites that cause diseases to man as close interactions between humans and NHP create pathways for the cross-species transmission of common zoonotic diseases. The present study was carried out with the aim of investigating the intestinal helminthes infestation in two wild species of Galagos: Galagoides demidovii and Sciurocheirus gabonensis. Stool samples collected from 30 specimens were examined from March to July 2012 using direct wet mount, concentration via sodium chloride floatation and sedimentation methods. Identification of parasitic ova was carried out according to an established protocol. Results indicated that Hymenolepis nana had the highest infestation rate (55.56%), followed by Taenia sp. (51.85%) and Ascaris lumbricoides (37.04%) in species from “N’djili brasserie” site while for the samples from Luki, Teania sp. displayed a highest prevalence rate (75%) flowed by Ancylostoma duodenale, Hymenolepsis nana and Trichostrongylus sp. (50% each) and Fasciola hepatica (25%). The two types of Galagos (Galagoides demidovii and Sciurocheirus gabonensis) were infected at different levels with the cited helminthes. Regular parasitological examination as monitoring tool should be carried out to prevent zoonotic infections. For the best of our knowledge, this is the first time report on the gastrointestinal helminthes of the Congolese wild Galagos.