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Faculty Member: Niyaz Ahmed
Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics, India

Tags: Hypothesis, New Finding

F1000 Factor: 9.0 (Exceptional)

Relevant Areas:

ECOLOGY > Behavioural ecology | Community ecology & biodiversity | Conservation & restoration ecology
MICROBIOLOGY > Cellular microbiology & pathogenesis | Medical microbiology | Virology

This study elegantly reveals the role of chimpanzee's infant offspring in the spread of infection to the rest of their family. The observations made across 20 years examine play and sociability in young chimps and their effects on the spread of deadly respiratory diseases. It was also interesting to notice that mortality cycles force the chimps to breed simultaneously, thereby giving rise to fresh cohorts. Once the offspring reach one year of age and start playing, the mortality cycle starts again. The authors claim that the transmission dynamics of infectious diseases in young chimps resemble those seen in human children. This study has wider conservation implications and it is being discussed in the media and blogosphere. Some people believe that chimps may be taught healthy play behavior, and that once they are taught they will pass on this to their babies. Others think that, although seemingly 'anti-social' to humans, the skills of jumping, licking, wrestling and biting are a part of normal life in a chimp society. So do we really need to intervene in the normal development of chimps? If not, what can we do? These are some of the questions that baffle conservation biologists and epidemiologists.



Competing interests: None declared
Evaluated 27 Jun 2008



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