Publications

a new isolation with migration model along complete genomes infers very different divergence processes among closely related great ape species.	we present a hidden markov model (hmm) for inferring gradual isolation between two populations during speciation, modelled as a time interval with restricted gene flow. the hmm describes the history of adjacent nucleotides in two genomic sequences, such that the nucleotides can be separated by recombination, can migrate between populations, or can coalesce at variable time points, all dependent on the parameters of the model, which are the effective population sizes, splitting times, recombinati ...	2012	23284294
ecological volatility and human evolution: a novel perspective on life history and reproductive strategy.	humans are characterized by a suite of traits that seem to differentiate them profoundly from closely related apes such as the gorilla, chimpanzee, and orang-utan. these traits include longevity, cooperative breeding, stacking of offspring, lengthy maturation, and a complex life-course profile of adiposity. when, how, and why these traits emerged during our evolutionary history is currently attracting considerable attention. most approaches to life history emphasize dietary energy availability a ...	2012	23280924
molecular anthropology and the subversion of paleoanthropology: an example of "the emperor's clothes" effect?	although the birth of "molecular systematics" may date to the turn of the twentieth century, the discipline did not gain momentum until the 1960s, when most paleoanthropologists believed that humans were distantly related to a great ape group (chimpanzee, gorilla, orangutan), within which the african apes were most closely related. from the beginning, interpretation of molecular data, initially protein immunoreactivity, conflicted with the interpretation of morphological data by favoring a human ...	2012	23272601
comparison of laryngeal mask airway use with endotracheal intubation during anesthesia of western lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla).	the laryngeal mask airway is an alternative to endotracheal intubation that achieves control of the airway by creating a seal around the larynx with an inflatable cuff. this study compared use of the laryngeal mask airway with endotracheal intubation in anesthetized western lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla). eight adult gorillas were immobilized for routine and diagnostic purposes for a total of nine anesthetic events. during each anesthetic event, gorillas were either intubated (n = 4; ...	2012	23272342
placental invasion, preeclampsia risk and adaptive molecular evolution at the origin of the great apes: evidence from genome-wide analyses.	recent evidence from chimpanzees and gorillas has raised doubts that preeclampsia is a uniquely human disease. the deep extravillous trophoblast (evt) invasion and spiral artery remodeling that characterizes our placenta (and is abnormal in preeclampsia) is shared within great apes, setting homininae apart from hylobatidae and old world monkeys, which show much shallower trophoblast invasion and limited spiral artery remodeling. we hypothesize that the evolution of a more invasive placenta in th ...	2012	23266291
seasonal effects on great ape health: a case study of wild chimpanzees and western gorillas.	among factors affecting animal health, environmental influences may directly or indirectly impact host nutritional condition, fecundity, and their degree of parasitism. our closest relatives, the great apes, are all endangered and particularly sensitive to infectious diseases. both chimpanzees and western gorillas experience large seasonal variations in fruit availability but only western gorillas accordingly show large changes in their degree of frugivory. the aim of this study is to investigat ...	2012	23227152
extraversion predicts longer survival in gorillas: an 18-year longitudinal study.	personality plays an important role in determining human health and risk of earlier death. however, the mechanisms underlying those associations remain unknown. we moved away from testing hypotheses rooted in the activities of modern humans, by testing whether these associations are ancestral and one side of a trade-off between fitness costs and benefits. we examined personality predictors of survival in 283 captive western lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla) followed for 18 years. we fou ...	2013	23222443
entodiniomorphid ciliates from the wild lowland gorilla with the description of a new genus and three new species.	the entodiniomorphid ciliates in gorilla in gabon, west africa, were surveyed and observed by light and scanning electron microscopy. as a result, 4 species belonging to the families troglodytellidae and cycloposthiidae were identified, and 3 of them were new to science. these species were described as goriliophilus thoracatus n.g., n.sp., troglodytella gabonensis n.sp., and prototapirella gorillae n.sp. sem observations of goriliophilus and troglodytella revealed in particular the surface struc ...	2011	23196284
quantifying lateral femoral condyle ellipticalness in chimpanzees, gorillas, and humans.	articular surfaces of limb bones provide information for understanding animal locomotion because their size and shape are a reflection of habitual postures and movements. here we present a novel method for quantifying the ellipticalness (i.e., departure from perfectly circular) of the lateral femoral condyle (lfc), applying this technique to hominid femora. three-dimensional surface models were created for 49 homo sapiens, 34 pan troglodytes and 25 gorilla gorilla femora. software was developed ...	2012	23042636
genetic characterization of simian foamy viruses infecting humans.	simian foamy viruses (sfvs) are retroviruses that are widespread among nonhuman primates (nhps). sfvs actively replicate in their oral cavity and can be transmitted to humans after nhp bites, giving rise to a persistent infection even decades after primary infection. very few data on the genetic structure of such sfvs found in humans are available. in the framework of ongoing studies searching for sfv-infected humans in south cameroon rainforest villages, we studied 38 sfv-infected hunters whose ...	2012	23015714
the al 333-160 fourth metatarsal from hadar compared to that of humans, great apes, baboons and proboscis monkeys: non-conclusive evidence for pedal arches or obligate bipedality in hadar hominins.	based on comparisons to non-statistically representative samples of humans and two great ape species (i.e. common chimpanzees pan troglodytes and lowland gorillas gorilla gorilla), ward et al. (2011) concluded that a complete hominin fourth metatarsal (4th mt) from hadar, al 333-160, belonged to a committed terrestrial biped with fixed transverse and longitudinal pedal arches, which was no longer under selection favoring substantial arboreal behaviors. according to ward et al., the hadar 4th mt ...	2012	22995931
recovery of arcobacter spp. from nonlivestock species.	the genus arcobacter encompasses campylobacter-like organisms that grow in air at 25 degrees c. arcobacter has been detected or isolated from clinically healthy livestock as well as aborted fetuses and has been presumptively identified as either campylobacter or leptospira, based on its growth in selective semisolid media. because reports from nonlivestock species are limited, this study examined nine presumptive isolates of arcobacter spp. from an alpaca (vicugna pacos), black rhinoceros (dicer ...	2011	22950328
face and eye scanning in gorillas (gorilla gorilla), orangutans (pongo abelii), and humans (homo sapiens): unique eye-viewing patterns in humans among hominids.	because the faces and eyes of primates convey a rich array of social information, the way in which primates view faces and eyes reflects species-specific strategies for facial communication. how are humans and closely related species such as great apes similar and different in their viewing patterns for faces and eyes? following previous studies comparing chimpanzees (pan troglodytes) with humans (homo sapiens), this study used the eye-tracking method to directly compare the patterns of face and ...	2012	22946925
clinical management of a western lowland gorilla (gorilla gorilla gorilla) with a cardiac resynchronization therapy device.	a 24-yr-old, male western lowland gorilla (gorilla gorilla gorilla) was diagnosed with congestive heart failure using transesophageal and transthoracic echocardiology. new york heart association (nyha) class iii was assigned to the severity of the condition. over 16 mo, this progressed to nyha class iv despite increasing medical therapy. repeated evaluations suggested that implantation of a cardiac resynchronization therapy device with a defibrillator (crt-d) could benefit this animal based on c ...	2011	22946404
non-invasive monitoring of physiological stress in the western lowland gorilla (gorilla gorilla gorilla): validation of a fecal glucocorticoid assay and methods for practical application in the field.	enzymeimmunoassays (eias) allow researchers to monitor stress hormone output via measurement of fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (fgcms) in many vertebrates. they can be powerful tools which allow the acquisition of otherwise unobtainable physiological information from both captive animals and wild animals in remote forest habitats, such as great apes. however, methods for hormone measurement, extraction and preservation need to be adapted and validated for field settings. in preparation for a f ...	2012	22926327
scheuermann kyphosis in nonhuman primates.	a cadaveric survey of the thoracic spines of extant species of nonbipedal primates for the presence of scheuermann kyphosis.	2012	22922891
reye's or reye's-like syndrome in western lowland gorilla (gorilla gorilla gorilla).	a 15-year-old western lowland gorilla (gorilla gorilla gorilla) died shortly after transfer to the north carolina zoo.	2012	22882671
[malaria in hominids].	malaria parasites (plasmodium spp) that infect great apes are very poorly documented malaria was first described in gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans in the early 20th century, but most studies were confined to a handful of chimpanzees in the 1930-1950s and a few orangutans in the 1970s. the three plasmodium species described in african great apes were very similar to those infecting humans. the most extensively studied was p reichenowi, because of its close phylogenetic relation to p. falcip ...	2011	22844753
[great apes: who are they? are they able to self-medicate?].	six great ape species (chimpanzees, bonobos, western gorillas, eastern gorillas, sumatran orangutans and bornean orangutans) live in tropical forests of africa and south-east asia. their habitat, severely threatened by deforestation, contains a vast chemical and biological diversity. during the last decade, we have isolated and identified novel pharmacologically active compounds from plants used by wild chimpanzees in kibale national park, uganda. our continuous observations over the last 12 yea ...	2011	22844752
target animacy influences chimpanzee handedness.	we employed a bottom-up, quantitative method to investigate great ape handedness. our previous investigation of gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla) demonstrated that contextual information influenced an individual's handedness toward target objects. specifically, we found a significant right-hand bias for unimanual actions directed toward inanimate target objects but not for actions directed to animate target objects (forrester et al. in anim cogn 14(6):903-907, 2011). using the identical methodo ...	2012	22829099
evaluation of different storage methods to characterize the fecal bacterial communities of captive western lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla).	freezing is considered to be the best method for long-term storage of bacterial dna from feces; however this method cannot be usually applied for samples of wild primates collected in the challenging conditions of the tropical forest. in order to find an alternative conservation method of fecal samples from wild great apes, we compared freezing with other fixation methods. fecal samples from 11 captive gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla) from three czech zoos were stored using freezing, rna stabi ...	2012	22828127
direct and indirect reputation formation in nonhuman great apes (pan paniscus, pan troglodytes, gorilla gorilla, pongo pygmaeus) and human children (homo sapiens).	humans make decisions about when and with whom to cooperate based on their reputations. people either learn about others by direct interaction or by observing third-party interactions or gossip. an important question is whether other animal species, especially our closest living relatives, the nonhuman great apes, also form reputations of others. in study 1, chimpanzees, bonobos, orangutans, and 2.5-year-old human children experienced a nice experimenter who tried to give food/toys to the subjec ...	2013	22746158
teasing apart the contributions of hard dietary items on 3d dental microtextures in primates.	3d dental microtexture analysis is a powerful tool for reconstructing the diets of extinct primates. this method is based on the comparison of fossils with extant species of known diet. the diets of primates are highly diversified and include fruits, seeds, grass, tree leaves, bark, roots, tubers, and animal resources. fruits remain the main component in the diets of most primates. we tested whether the proportion of fruit consumed is correlated with dental microtexture. two methods of microtext ...	2012	22705031
suspected macular degeneration in a captive western lowland gorilla (gorilla gorilla gorilla).	the case of a 31-year-old captive female western lowland gorilla (gorilla gorilla gorilla) with decreased near vision but good distance vision is presented. examination of the fundus revealed drusen-like bodies in the macula presumably because of an age-related macular degeneration (amd).	2012	22702721
the mid-face of lower pleistocene hominins and its bearing on the attribution of sk 847 and stw 53.	sk 847 and stw 53 have often been cited as evidence for early homo in south africa. to examine whether midfacial morphology is in agreement with these attributions, we analyze euclidean distances calculated from 3-d coordinates on the maxillae of sk 847 and stw 53, as well as australopithecus africanus (sts 5, sts 71), paranthropus robustus (sk 46, sk 48, sk 52, sk 83), early homo (knm-er 1813, knm-er 1805, knm-er 3733, knm-wt 15000), p. boisei (knm-er 406, knm-wt 17000, knm-wt 17400), gorilla g ...	2012	22695253
ubiquitous hepatocystis infections, but no evidence of plasmodium falciparum-like malaria parasites in wild greater spot-nosed monkeys (cercopithecus nictitans).	western gorillas (gorilla gorilla) have been identified as the natural reservoir of the parasites that were the immediate precursor of plasmodium falciparum infecting humans. recently, a p. falciparum-like sequence was reported in a sample from a captive greater spot-nosed monkey (cercopithecus nictitans), and was taken to indicate that this species may also be a natural reservoir for p. falciparum-related parasites. to test this hypothesis we screened blood samples from 292 wild c. nictitans mo ...	2012	22691606
recovery potential of a western lowland gorilla population following a major ebola outbreak: results from a ten year study.	investigating the recovery capacity of wildlife populations following demographic crashes is of great interest to ecologists and conservationists. opportunities to study these aspects are rare due to the difficulty of monitoring populations both before and after a demographic crash. ebola outbreaks in central africa have killed up to 95% of the individuals in affected western lowland gorilla (gorilla gorilla gorilla) populations. assessing whether and how fast affected populations recover is ess ...	2012	22649511
infant-directed communication in lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla): do older animals scaffold communicative competence in infants?	infant-directed speech is a linguistic phenomenon in which adults adapt their language when addressing infants in order to provide them with more salient linguistic information and aid them in language acquisition. adult-directed language differs from infant-directed language in various aspects, including speech acoustics, syntax, and semantics. the existence of a "gestural motherese" in interaction with infants, demonstrates that not only spoken language but also nonvocal modes of communication ...	2012	22644596
problem solving in great apes (pan paniscus, pan troglodytes, gorilla gorilla, and pongo abelii): the effect of visual feedback.	what kind of information animals use when solving problems is a controversial topic. previous research suggests that, in some situations, great apes prefer to use causally relevant cues over arbitrary ones. to further examine to what extent great apes are able to use information about causal relations, we presented three different puzzle box problems to the four nonhuman great ape species. of primary interest here was a comparison between one group of apes that received visual access to the func ...	2012	22644115
brief communication: hand preference for bimanual and unimanual feeding in captive gorillas: extension in a second colony of apes.	right-hand dominance is widely considered to be a uniquely human trait. whether nonhuman primates exhibit similar population-level hand preferences remains a topic of considerable debate. despite extensive research focusing on laterality in nonhuman primates, our interpretation of these studies is limited due to methodological issues including the lack of a common measure of hand preference and the use of tasks that may not be reliable indicators of handedness. the use of consistent methods betw ...	2012	22639326
apes (gorilla gorilla, pan paniscus, p. troglodytes, pongo abelii) versus corvids (corvus corax, c. corone) in a support task: the effect of pattern and functionality.	apes (gorilla gorilla, pan paniscus, p. troglodytes, pong abelii) and corvids (corvus corax, c. corone) are among the most proficient and flexible tool users in the animal kingdom. although it has been proposed that this is the result of convergent evolution, little is known about whether this is limited to behavior or also includes the underlying cognitive mechanisms. we compared several species of apes (bonobos, chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans) and corvids (carrion crows and common raven ...	2012	22545765
the evolution and consequences of snar family transposition in primates.	the small nf90 associated rna (snar) family of small noncoding rnas (ncrna) appears to have evolved from retrotransposon ancestors at or soon after pivotal stages in primate evolution. snars are thought to be derived from a flam c-like (free left alu monomer) element through multiple short insertion/deletion (indel) and nucleotide (nt) substitution events. tracing snar's complex evolutionary history through primate genomes led to the recent discovery of two novel retrotransposons: the alu/snar r ...	2011	22545241
variation in anthropoid vertebral formulae: implications for homology and homoplasy in hominoid evolution.	variation in vertebral formulae within and among hominoid species has complicated our understanding of hominoid vertebral evolution. here, variation is quantified using diversity and similarity indices derived from population genetics. these indices allow for testing models of hominoid vertebral evolution that call for disparate amounts of homoplasy, and by inference, different patterns of evolution. results are interpreted in light of "short-backed" (j exp zool (mol dev evol) 302b:241-267) and ...	2012	22532475
facilitating play through communication: significance of teeth exposure in the gorilla play face.	primate facial expressions (fes) likely play an important role in primate society: through facial signals, individuals can potentially send and receive information and may benefit from coordinating their behavior accordingly. many primates use a relaxed open mouth (rom) facial display or “play face” (pf) during play behavior, where the mouth is open but teeth are covered. in addition to this conventional pf, however, western lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla) also use a full pf where the ...	2012	22512019
no evidence for transmission of antibiotic-resistant escherichia coli strains from humans to wild western lowland gorillas in lopé national park, gabon.	the intensification of human activities within the habitats of wild animals is increasing the risk of interspecies disease transmission. this risk is particularly important for great apes, given their close phylogenetic relationship with humans. areas of high human density or intense research and ecotourism activities expose apes to a high risk of disease spillover from humans. is this risk lower in areas of low human density? we determined the prevalence of escherichia coli antibiotic-resistant ...	2012	22492436
estrogenic plant foods of red colobus monkeys and mountain gorillas in uganda.	phytoestrogens, or naturally occurring estrogen-mimicking compounds, are found in many human plant foods, such as soybeans (glycine max) and other legumes. because the consumption of phytoestrogens may result in both health benefits of protecting against estrogen-dependent cancers and reproductive costs of disrupting the developing endocrine system, considerable biomedical research has been focused on the physiological and behavioral effects of these compounds. despite this interest, little is k ...	2012	22460223
a new look at an old canal.	attempts to explain abducens vulnerability have centered around the petroclival segment of its pathway in the skull base, in particular, its relations to the dorello's canal and the petrosphenoidal ligament of grüber. this study aims to contribute to the definition of the dorello's canal and to the understanding of abducens vulnerability from an evolutionary perspective. the petroclival region and the dorello's canal in particular were examined in a sample of 86 primate skulls. the sample contai ...	2011	22451800
severe idiopathic hypocalcemia in a juvenile western lowland gorilla, gorilla gorilla gorilla.	a 6-mo-old, male western lowland gorilla (gorilla gorilla gorilla) was evaluated because of tetany of both hands. the gorilla had alternating periods of constipation, diarrhea, and bloating since birth. a diagnosis of idiopathic hypocalcemia was based on severe hypocalcemia, a normal vitamin d level, response to oral calcium and vitamin d therapy, and eventual resolution. idiopathic hypocalcemia, an uncommon disease in neonatal humans, should be considered in young gorillas with persistent gastr ...	2012	22448527
species association of hepatitis b virus (hbv) in non-human apes; evidence for recombination between gorilla and chimpanzee variants.	hepatitis b virus (hbv) infections are widely distributed in humans, infecting approximately one third of the world's population. hbv variants have also been detected and genetically characterised from old world apes; gorilla gorilla (gorilla), pan troglodytes (chimpanzee), pongo pygmaeus (orang-utan), nomascus nastusus and hylobates pileatus (gibbons) and from the new world monkey, lagothrix lagotricha (woolly monkey). to investigate species-specificity and potential for cross species transmiss ...	2012	22432021
genomics: gorilla gorilla gorilla.		2012	22398552
the effect of body orientation on judgments of human visual attention in western lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla).	the ability to appreciate the attentional states of others is an important element used in discerning the presence of theory of mind in an individual. whether primates are able to recognize attention, and further, use such information to predict behavior, remains contentious. in this study, six western lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla) were tested under different conditions that aimed to investigate not only their understanding of what a human experimenter sees, but also what informatio ...	2013	22390623
phenotypic correlates of male reproductive success in western gorillas.	sexual selection is thought to drive the evolution of sexually dimorphic traits that increase male reproductive success. despite a large degree of sexual dimorphism among haplorhine primates, phenotypic traits that may influence the reproductive success of males are largely unstudied due to long life spans and the difficulties in quantifying such traits non-invasively. here we employ digital photogrammetry of body length and crest size, as well as ranking of the gluteal muscle size, to test whet ...	2012	22386152
use of buckets as tools by western lowland gorillas.	while all great apes have been documented to use tools, gorillas are arguably the least proficient tool users. in 2009, a western lowland gorilla (gorilla gorilla gorilla) at the buffalo zoo was observed using a bucket, which had been provided as part of normal enrichment, as a tool to collect water. we conducted a brief, ad libitum investigation to confirm the validity of the initial observation. we then carried out a systematic investigation of the behavior in 2010. we collected 72 hr of video ...	2012	22290615
metastatic endocervical adenocarcinoma in a western lowland gorilla (gorilla g. gorilla): no evidence of virus-induced carcinogenesis.	cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women. nevertheless, similar tumours have only been rarely described in great apes. this report characterizes the pathological and molecular features of a metastatic endocervical adenocarcinoma in a western lowland gorilla (gorilla g. gorilla).	2012	22273046
adrenal androgen production in catarrhine primates and the evolution of adrenarche.	adrenarche is a developmental event involving differentiation of the adrenal gland and production of adrenal androgens, and has been hypothesized to play a role in the extension of the preadolescent phase of human ontogeny. it remains unclear whether any nonhuman primate species shows a similar suite of endocrine, biochemical, and morphological changes as are encompassed by human adrenarche. here, we report serum concentrations of the adrenal androgens dehydroepiandrosterone (dhea) and dehydroep ...	2012	22271526
olfactory discrimination in the western lowland gorilla, gorilla gorilla gorilla.	the olfactory abilities of great apes have been subject to little empirical investigation, save for a few observational reports. this study, using an habituation/dishabituation task, provides experimental evidence for a core olfactory ability, namely, olfactory discrimination, in the gorilla. in experiment 1, six zoo-housed western lowland gorillas were individually presented with the same odour on four trials, and with a novel odour on the fifth trial. odours (almond and vanilla) were presented ...	2012	22261746
testing the oxidative stress hypothesis of aging in primate fibroblasts: is there a correlation between species longevity and cellular ros production?	the present study was conducted to test predictions of the oxidative stress theory of aging assessing reactive oxygen species production and oxidative stress resistance in cultured fibroblasts from 13 primate species ranging in body size from 0.25 to 120 kg and in longevity from 20 to 90 years. we assessed both basal and stress-induced reactive oxygen species production in fibroblasts from five great apes (human, chimpanzee, bonobo, gorilla, and orangutan), four old world monkeys (baboon, rhesus ...	2012	22219516
y-chromosome variation in hominids: intraspecific variation is limited to the polygamous chimpanzee.	we have previously demonstrated that the y-specific ampliconic fertility genes daz (deleted in azoospermia) and cdy (chromodomain protein y) varied with respect to copy number and position among chimpanzees (pan troglodytes). in comparison, seven y-chromosomal lineages of the bonobo (pan paniscus), the chimpanzee's closest living relative, showed no variation. we extend our earlier comparative investigation to include an analysis of the intraspecific variation of these genes in gorillas (gorilla ...	2011	22216243
consequences of non-intervention for infectious disease in african great apes.	infectious disease has recently joined poaching and habitat loss as a major threat to african apes. both "naturally" occurring pathogens, such as ebola and simian immunodeficiency virus (siv), and respiratory pathogens transmitted from humans, have been confirmed as important sources of mortality in wild gorillas and chimpanzees. while awareness of the threat has increased, interventions such as vaccination and treatment remain controversial. here we explore both the risk of disease to african a ...	2011	22216162
Echocardiographic parameters of captive western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla).	A total of 163 echocardiographic studies on western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) were submitted for evaluation; 140 from 99 animals were suitable for analysis. Of these, 81 studies (42 studies from 35 males ranging in age from 11-41+ yr and 39 studies from 31 females ranging in age from 11-41+ yr) are reported here. Three studies from 3 females and 56 studies from 30 males were excluded from this report due to cardiac abnormalities. Cardiac parameters measured were aortic root (Ao ...	2011	22204050
Allelic Lineages of the Ficolin Genes (FCNs) Are Passed from Ancestral to Descendant Primates.	The ficolins recognize carbohydrates and acetylated compounds on microorganisms and dying host cells and are able to activate the lectin pathway of the complement system. In humans, three ficolin genes have been identified: FCN1, FCN2 and FCN3, which encode ficolin-1, ficolin-2 and ficolin-3, respectively. Rodents have only two ficolins designated ficolin-A and ficolin-B that are closely related to human ficolin-1, while the rodent FCN3 orthologue is a pseudogene. Ficolin-2 and ficolin-3 have so ...	2011	22194813
a revised timeline for the origin of plasmodium falciparum as a human pathogen.	while plasmodium falciparum is known to have had a strong effect on human evolution, the time period when p. falciparum first infected ancestors of modern humans has remained uncertain. recent advances demonstrated that p. falciparum evolved from ancestors of gorilla parasites via host switching. here, we estimate the range of dates during which this host switch may have occurred. dna sequences of portions of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene obtained from gorilla parasites closely related to ...	2011	22183792
morphological evolution through integration: a quantitative study of cranial integration in homo, pan, gorilla and pongo.	morphological integration refers to coordinated variation among traits that are closely related in development and/or function. patterns of integration can offer important insight into the structural relationship between phenotypic units, providing a framework to address questions about phenotypic evolvability and constraints. integrative features of the primate cranium have recently become a popular subject of study. however, an important question that still remains under-investigated is: what ...	2012	22178399
a new plan for the 800-pound gorilla (guerrilla): perinatal mortality in afghanistan: a 21st century counterinsurgency model for afghanistan.	afghanistan has the highest perinatal mortality rate in the entire world. one afghani woman dies every 30 minutes from perinatal- related event. one of eight afghani women will die from perinatal events. maternal mortality is (use percentage, not fractions) 1600/100,000 vs 13 /100,000 in the united states. afghanistan is one of the only countries in the world in which the average woman?s life expectancy is shorter than a males- despite the active, nationwide combat fought primarily by afghani ma ...	2011	22173597
hiv-1 group p is unable to antagonize human tetherin by vpu, env or nef.	abstract: background: a new subgroup of hiv-1, designated group p, was recently detected in two unrelated patients of cameroonian origin. hiv-1 group p phylogenetically clusters with sivgor suggesting that it is the result of a cross-species transmission from gorillas. until today, hiv-1 group p has only been detected in two patients and its degree of adaptation to the human host is largely unknown. previous data have shown that pandemic hiv-1 group m but not non-pandemic group o or rare group ...	2011	22171785
Cross-species transmission of simian foamy virus to humans in rural Gabon, central Africa.	In order to characterize simian foamy retroviruses (SFVs) in wild-born nonhuman primates (NHPs) in Gabon and to investigate cross-species transmission to humans, we obtained 497 NHP samples, composed of 286 blood and 211 tissue (bush meat) samples. Anti-SFV antibodies were found in 31 of 286 plasma samples (10.5%). The integrase gene sequence was found in 38/497 samples, including both blood and tissue samples, with novel SFVs in several Cercopithecus species. Of the 78 humans, mostly hunters, w ...	2012	22072747
the 800-pound gorilla: state lawmakers are trying to cut costs so the program will survive, even when millions more are added to the rolls.		2011	22069839
Review and hypothesis: does graves' disease develop in non-human great apes?	Background: Graves' disease, caused by stimulatory thyrotropin receptor (TSHR) autoantibodies, has not been observed in animals. In contrast, Hashimoto's thyroiditis develops in chickens, rats, mice, dogs, and marmosets. Attempts to induce an immune response in mice to the luteinizing-hormone receptor suggested that autoantigen glycosylation was one parameter involved in breaking self-tolerance. Over evolution, TSHR glycosylation increased from three asparagine-linked-glycans (N-glycans) in fish ...	2011	22066476
frequent and recent human acquisition of simian foamy viruses through apes' bites in central africa.	human infection by simian foamy viruses (sfv) can be acquired by persons occupationally exposed to non-human primates (nhp) or in natural settings. this study aimed at getting better knowledge on sfv transmission dynamics, risk factors for such a zoonotic infection and, searching for intra-familial dissemination and the level of peripheral blood (pro)viral loads in infected individuals. we studied 1,321 people from the general adult population (mean age 49 yrs, 640 women and 681 men) and 198 ind ...	2011	22046126
park gazettement and integrated conservation and development as factors in community conflict at bwindi impenetrable forest, uganda.	conflicts between protected-area managers and local people are common, but the drivers of conflict are rarely analyzed. this limits opportunities to identify strategies that reduce conflict and the magnitude of resulting threats to conservation. integrated conservation and development (icd) was adopted at bwindi impenetrable forest, uganda, to reduce conflict during gazettement of the national park, but the success of this approach remains contested. we retrieved documents of conflict written by ...	2011	22044616
'the big gorilla'. bjc healthcare has foothold in st. louis area.		2011	21936466
differences in gorilla nettle-feeding between captivity and the wild: local traditions, species typical behaviors or merely the result of nutritional deficiencies?	behavioral and cognitive studies on captive apes often pay little attention to the specific environmental conditions of their study subjects. a recent report form byrne et al. (anim cogn doi: 10.1007/s10071-011-0403-8, 2011), comparing nettle-feeding techniques between captive and wild gorillas, claimed to document "the strongest evidence yet to come from any great ape that observational learning of a skilled conspecific" can allow social learning and culture in gorillas. an earlier study with s ...	2011	21927847
Unusual feeding behavior in wild great apes, a window to understand origins of self-medication in humans: Role of sociality and physiology on learning process.	Certain toxic plants are beneficial for health if small amounts are ingested infrequently and in a specific context of illness. Among our closest living relatives, chimpanzees are found to consume plants with pharmacological properties. Providing insight on the origins of human self-medication, this study investigates the role social systems and physiology (namely gut specialization) play on learning mechanisms involved in the consumption of unusual and potentially bioactive foods by two great a ...	2012	21888922
Traditional-medical knowledge and perception of pangolins (Manis sps) among the Awori people, Southwestern Nigeria.	ABSTRACT: medicines is taken from the wild; hence demand by traditional medicine is a cause of over-exploitation of wild animals. Indiscriminate use of endangered species portends grievous implications for biodiversity conservation. This study investigated the dynamics of the use of pangolin in trado-medicinal preparations amongst the Awori people.	2011	21884607
genetic heterogeneity in internal transcribed spacer genes of balantidium coli (litostomatea, ciliophora).	the species balantidium coli is the only ciliate that parasitizes humans. it has been described in other primates, and it has been proposed that the species b. suis from pigs and b. struthionis from ostriches are synonyms of b. coli. previous genetic analysis of pig and ostrich balantidium isolates found a genetic polymorphism in the its region but its taxonomic relevance was not established. we have extended the genetic analysis to balantidium isolates of pig, gorilla, human and ostrich origin. ...	2011	21840258
copy number variation analysis in the great apes reveals species-specific patterns of structural variation.	copy number variants (cnvs) are increasingly acknowledged as an important source of evolutionary novelties in the human lineage. however, our understanding of their significance is still hindered by the lack of primate cnv data. we performed intraspecific comparative genomic hybridizations to identify loci harboring copy number variants in each of the four great apes: bonobos, chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans. for the first time, we could analyze differences in cnv location and frequency in ...	2011	21824994
functional anatomy and adaptation of male gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla) with comparison to male orangutans (pongo pygmaeus).	great apes diversified during the miocene in old world forests. two lineages, gorillas in africa and orangutans in asia, have sexual dimorphisms of super-sized males, though they presumably diverged from a smaller common ancestor. we test the hypothesis that they increased in body mass independently and convergently, and that their many postcranial differences reflect locomotor differences. whole body dissections of five adult male gorillas and four adult male orangutans allowed quantification o ...	2011	21809463
femoral morphology and femoropelvic musculoskeletal anatomy of humans and great apes: a comparative virtopsy study.	the proximal femoral morphology of fossil hominins is routinely interpreted in terms of muscular topography and associated locomotor modes. however, the detailed correspondence between hard and soft tissue structures in the proximal femoral region of extant great apes is relatively unknown, because dissection protocols typically do not comprise in-depth osteological descriptions. here, we use computed tomography and virtopsy (virtual dissection) for non-invasive examination of the femoropelvic m ...	2011	21809454
diversity of microsporidia (fungi: microsporidia) among captive great apes in european zoos and african sanctuaries: evidence for zoonotic transmission?	abstract: two hundred and seventeen captive great apes (150 chimpanzees, pan troglodytes; 14 bonobos, pan paniscus; 53 western gorillas, gorilla gorilla) and 20 personnel from thirteen european zoos and two african sanctuaries were sampled and examined in order to determine the occurrence ofenterocytozoon bieneusi and species of encephalitozoon in faecal specimens and to compare the epidemiological situation between zoos and sanctuaries. microsporidia were detected at all sampling sites. sequenc ...	2011	21776888
the limits of endowment effects in great apes (pan paniscus, pan troglodytes, gorilla gorilla, pongo pygmaeus).	the endowment effect describes the bias that people often value things that they possess more than things they do not possess. thus, they are often reluctant to trade items in their possession for items of equivalent value. some nonhuman primates appear to share this bias with humans, but it remains an open question whether they show endowment effects to the same extent as humans do. we investigated endowment effects in all four great ape species (pan paniscus, pan troglodytes, gorilla gorilla, ...	2011	21767009
african monkeys are infected by plasmodium falciparum nonhuman primate-specific strains.	recent molecular exploration of the plasmodium species circulating in great apes in africa has revealed the existence of a large and previously unknown diversity of plasmodium. for instance, gorillas were found to be infected by parasites closely related to plasmodium falciparum, suggesting that the human malignant malaria agent may have arisen after a transfer from gorillas. although this scenario is likely in light of the data collected in great apes, it remained to be ascertained whether p. f ...	2011	21730135
deep trophoblast invasion and spiral artery remodelling in the placental bed of the lowland gorilla.	in contrast to baboon or rhesus macaque, trophoblast invasion in the human placental bed occurs by the interstitial as well as the endovascular route and reaches as deep as the inner myometrium. we here describe two rare specimens of gorilla placenta. in the light of recent findings in the chimpanzee, we postulated the occurrence of deep invasion in gorilla pregnancy. tissues were processed for histology (pas, orcein), lectin staining (ulex europaeus agglutinin 1) and immunohistochemistry (cytok ...	2011	21705078
comparing the performances of apes (gorilla gorilla, pan troglodytes, pongo pygmaeus) and human children (homo sapiens) in the floating peanut task.	recently, mendes et al. [1] described the use of a liquid tool (water) in captive orangutans. here, we tested chimpanzees and gorillas for the first time with the same "floating peanut task." none of the subjects solved the task. in order to better understand the cognitive demands of the task, we further tested other populations of chimpanzees and orangutans with the variation of the peanut initially floating or not. twenty percent of the chimpanzees but none of the orangutans were successful. a ...	2011	21687710
extreme conservation leads to recovery of the virunga mountain gorillas.	as wildlife populations are declining, conservationists are under increasing pressure to measure the effectiveness of different management strategies. conventional conservation measures such as law enforcement and community development projects are typically designed to minimize negative human influences upon a species and its ecosystem. in contrast, we define "extreme" conservation as efforts targeted to deliberately increase positive human influences, including veterinary care and close monito ...	2011	21687709
gorilla genome structural variation reveals evolutionary parallelisms with chimpanzee.	structural variation has played an important role in the evolutionary restructuring of human and great ape genomes. recent analyses have suggested that the genomes of chimpanzee and human have been particularly enriched for this form of genetic variation. here, we set out to assess the extent of structural variation in the gorilla lineage by generating 10-fold genomic sequence coverage from a western lowland gorilla and integrating these data into a physical and cytogenetic framework of structur ...	2011	21685127
effects of combination birth control on estrous behavior in captive western lowland gorillas, gorilla gorilla gorilla.	combination birth control pills (cbc) are one of the most common birth control methods used for western lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla) housed in zoos. since zoos are interested in maintaining as many natural behaviors as possible, it is important to know how contraception may affect social and sexual interactions among group members. although some data are available regarding the influence of the pill on sexual behavior in human females, no data are available on its effects on gorill ...	2011	21674603
the effect of feeding enrichment methods on the behavior of captive western lowland gorillas.	three feeding enrichment treatments were tested in an outdoor yard used by six western lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla). in "yard-toss," forage was thrown by hand over one third of the yard. in "set-up," forage and browse were hand-scattered throughout the yard. "set-up enriched" was similar with the addition of either a hay- and forage-filled feeder or forage-filled boomer ball(s) suspended from a climbing structure. each treatment was presented on 5 d. behavior was recorded for 30 mi ...	2011	21656848
nutritional geometry: gorillas prioritize non-protein energy while consuming surplus protein.	it is widely assumed that terrestrial food webs are built on a nitrogen-limited base and consequently herbivores must compensate through selection of high-protein foods and efficient nitrogen retention. like many folivorous primates, gorillas' diet selection supports this assumption, as they apparently prefer protein-rich foods. our study of mountain gorillas (gorilla beringei) in uganda revealed that, in some periods, carbohydrate-rich fruits displace a large portion of protein-rich leaves in t ...	2011	21632622
the magic cup: great apes and domestic dogs (canis familiaris) individuate objects according to their properties.	despite current interest in dog (canis familiaris) cognition, very little is known about how dogs represent objects and how they compare with other species, such as the great apes. therefore, we investigated how dogs and great apes (chimpanzees [pan troglodytes], bonobos [pan paniscus], orangutans [pongo pygmaeus], gorillas [gorilla gorilla]) individuate objects in a classical violation of expectation paradigm. we used a container (magic cup) with a double bottom that allowed us to change the ty ...	2011	21574687
two-step multiplex polymerase chain reaction improves the speed and accuracy of genotyping using dna from noninvasive and museum samples.	many studies in molecular ecology rely upon the genotyping of large numbers of low-quantity dna extracts derived from noninvasive or museum specimens. to overcome low amplification success rates and avoid genotyping errors such as allelic dropout and false alleles, multiple polymerase chain reaction (pcr) replicates for each sample are typically used. recently, two-step multiplex procedures have been introduced which drastically increase the success rate and efficiency of genotyping. however, co ...	2009	21564562
relationship between behavior, adrenal activity, and environment in zoo-housed western lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla).	monitoring adrenal activity through noninvasive fecal hormone sampling is rapidly gaining popularity as a tool to assess zoo animal welfare. however, few studies have sought to investigate the interrelationships between behavior, adrenal activity, and environment, and ask whether both behavioral and adrenal monitoring strategies are required to assess welfare sufficiently. we present the findings of a 9-month study of a small group (one male, two females) of western lowland gorillas, gorilla gor ...	2011	21563213
target animacy influences gorilla handedness.	we investigated the unimanual actions of a biological family group of twelve western lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla) using a methodological approach designed to assess behavior within social context from a bottom-up perspective. measures of both the lateralization of unimanual actions (left, right) and the target of the action (animate, inanimate) were assessed during dual, synchronized video observations of naturalistic behavior. this paper demonstrates a corelationship between hande ...	2011	21562817
infants' knowledge of their own species.	recognition of individuals at first sight is important for social species and can be achieved by attending to facial or body information. previous research suggests that infants possess a perceptual template for evolutionarily relevant stimuli, which may include humans, dangerous animals (e.g. snakes), but not non-dangerous animals. to be effective, such a mechanism should result in a systematic preference for attending to humans over non-dangerous animals. using a preferential looking paradigm, ...	2011	21536558
local traditions in gorilla manual skill: evidence for observational learning of behavioral organization.	elaborate manual skills of food processing are known in several species of great ape; but their manner of acquisition is controversial. local, "cultural" traditions show the influence of social learning, but it is uncertain whether this includes the ability to imitate the organization of behavior. dispute has centered on whether program-level imitation contributes to the acquisition of feeding techniques in gorillas. here, we show that captive western gorillas at port lympne, kent, have develope ...	2011	21512796
recombination analysis based on the complete genome of bocavirus.	abstract: bocavirus include bovine parvovirus, minute virus of canine, porcine bocavirus, gorilla bocavirus, and human bocaviruses 1-4 (hbovs). although recent reports showed that recombination happened in bocavirus, no systematical study investigated the recombination of bocavirus. the present study performed the phylogenetic and recombination analysis of bocavirus over the complete genomes available in genbank. results confirmed that recombination existed among bocavirus, including the likely ...	2011	21507266
fatal balamuthia mandrillaris infection in a gorilla - first case of balamuthiasis in germany.	background a 12-year-old female western lowland gorilla died in a zoological garden in germany after exhibiting general neurological signs. methods balamuthia mandrillaris was identified as causative agent by indirect immunofluorescent staining of brain sections and confirmed by pcr and respective sequencing. results the animal suffered from a chronic progressive necrotizing amebic meningoencephalitis. conclusion this is the first case of balamuthia amebic encephalitis in germany.	2011	21496054
human metapneumovirus infection in wild mountain gorillas, rwanda.	the genetic relatedness of mountain gorillas and humans has led to concerns about interspecies transmission of infectious agents. human-to-gorilla transmission may explain human metapneumovirus in 2 wild mountain gorillas that died during a respiratory disease outbreak in rwanda in 2009. surveillance is needed to ensure survival of these critically endangered animals.	2011	21470468
historical sampling reveals dramatic demographic changes in western gorilla populations.	today many large mammals live in small, fragmented populations, but it is often unclear whether this subdivision is the result of long-term or recent events. demographic modeling using genetic data can estimate changes in long-term population sizes while temporal sampling provides a way to compare genetic variation present today with that sampled in the past. in order to better understand the dynamics associated with the divergences of great ape populations, these analytical approaches were appl ...	2011	21457536
behavioral responses of silverback gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla) to videos.	this study examined the impact of video presentations on the behavior of 4 silverback, western lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla). on each of 5 occasions, gorillas viewed 6 types of videos (blue screen, humans, an all-male or mixed-sex group engaged in low activity, and an all-male or mixed-sex group engaged in agonistic behavior). the study recorded behavioral responses and watching rates. all gorillas preferred dynamic over static videos; 3 watched videos depicting gorillas significant ...	2011	21442506
the 800-pound gorilla in the healthcare living room.		2011	21396496
who killed porthos? genetic tracking of a gorilla death.	we describe a novel application of "forensic" genetics to study a key demographic event in a population of wild gorillas. we used microsatellite genotyping and non-invasively collected dna samples to identify one individual western lowland gorilla as being most likely to have caused the death of another in lopé national park, gabon. data from relatively few genotypes permitted the identification of female transfer events and the interpretation of individual behavior that was previously impossibl ...	2007	21396025
probiotic lactobacillus rhamnosus downregulates fcer1 and hrh4 expression in human mast cells.	to investigate the effects of four probiotic bacteria and their combination on human mast cell gene expression using microarray analysis.	2011	21390145
timing of ectocranial suture activity in gorilla gorilla as related to cranial volume and dental eruption.	research has shown that pan and homo have similar ectocranial suture synostosis patterns and a similar suture ontogeny (relative timing of suture fusion during the species ontogeny). this ontogeny includes patency during and after neurocranial expansion with a delayed bony response associated with adaptation to biomechanical forces generated by mastication. here we investigate these relationships for gorilla by examining the association among ectocranial suture morphology, cranial volume (as a p ...	2011	21385182
toddlers' duration of attention towards putative threat.	although individual differences in reactions to novelty in the toddler years have been consistently linked to risk for developing anxious behavior, toddlers' attention towards a novel, putatively threatening stimulus while in the presence of other enjoyable activities has rarely been examined as a precursor to such risk. the current study examined how attention towards an angry-looking gorilla mask in a room with alternative opportunities for play in 24-month-old toddlers predicted social inhibi ...	2011	21373365
debilitating clinical disease in a wild-born captive western lowland gorilla (gorilla gorilla gorilla) co-infected with varicella zoster virus (vzv) and simian t-lymphotropic virus (stlv).	a wild-born, 34-yr-old female western lowland gorilla (gorilla gorilla gorilla) was transferred between zoologic collections in the united kingdom. adjustment to its new environment was difficult and a series of health problems ensued. progressive severe illness of multiple etiologies, and a failure to respond to multiple therapies, led to its euthanasia 5 mo later. disease processes included severe thoracic and axillary cutaneous ulceration of t2-3 dermatome distribution, gastroenteritis, ulcer ...	2010	21370655
detection and genetic characterization of enteroviruses circulating among wild populations of chimpanzees in cameroon: relationship with human and simian enteroviruses.	enteroviruses (evs), members of the family picornaviridae, are a genetically and antigenically diverse range of viruses causing acute infections in humans and several old world monkey (owm) species. despite their known wide distribution in primates, nothing is currently known about the occurrence, frequency, and genetic diversity of enteroviruses infecting apes. to investigate this, 27 chimpanzee and 27 gorilla fecal samples collected from undisturbed jungle areas with minimal human contact in c ...	2011	21345956
inferential reasoning by exclusion in great apes, lesser apes, and spider monkeys.	using the cups task, in which subjects are presented with limited visual or auditory information that can be used to deduce the location of a hidden reward, call (2004) found prima facie evidence of inferential reasoning by exclusion in several great ape species. one bonobo (pan paniscus) and two gorillas (gorilla gorilla) appeared to make such inferences in both the visual and auditory domains. however, common chimpanzees (pan troglodytes) were successful only in the visual domain, and bornean ...	2011	21341913
male-immature relationships in multi-male groups of mountain gorillas (gorilla beringei beringei).	we examined the pattern and possible functions of social interactions between adult males and immatures in three free-ranging, multi-male groups of mountain gorillas (gorilla beringei beringei). previous studies conducted during the 1970s when groups contained one to three adult males concluded that male-immature relationships were likely to be a form of low-cost paternal investment [stewart, mountain gorillas: three decades of research at karisoke. cambridge, uk: cambridge university press, 200 ...	2010	21328594
great apes use weight as a cue to find hidden food.	bonobos (pan paniscus; n=5), orangutans (pongo pygmaeus abelii; n=6), and a gorilla (gorilla gorilla gorilla; n=1) were presented with two opaque cups, one empty and one baited (containing two bananas). subjects had to independently gain weight information about the contents of the cups to find the hidden food. six apes attained above chance level within a total of 16 trials. successful subjects spontaneously adopted the method of successively lifting the cups and thus comparing their weight bef ...	2010	21328591
gorilla success.		2011	21322173