Gastrointestinal parasites in captive olive baboons in a UK safari park

From the safety offered inside vehicles, Knowsley Safari provides its visitors a close-up encounter with a colony of some 240 captive olive baboons. As exiting vehicles may be contaminated with baboon stool and the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites within the colony is unknown, a comprehensive coprological survey of baboon stool was conducted to address public health concerns. Stools were obtained from vehicles, and sleeping areas, inclusive of video analysis of baboon-vehicle interactions. During the summer of 2021, a purposely selected four-day period of sampling enabled comparative inspections of 2,662 vehicles, with a total of 669 baboon stools examined (371 from vehicles and 298 from sleeping areas). As informed by a pilot study, our frontline diagnostic methods used were: QUIK-CHEK RDT (Giardia and Cryptosporidium), Kato-Katz coproscopy (Trichuris) and charcoal culture (Strongyloides). A total of 13.9% of vehicles were contaminated with baboon stool. Across examined stools, the prevalence of giardiasis was 37.4% whilst cryptosporidiosis was less than 0.01% using RDTs. The absence of faecal cysts by quality control coproscopy, alongside lower than expected levels of Giardia-specific DNA, judged RDT results as misleading, grossly overestimating the prevalence of giardiasis. Prevalence of trichuriasis was 48.0% and strongyloidiasis was 13.7%, with the first report of Strongyloides fuelleborni in the UK. We advise regular blanket administration(s) of anthelminthics to the colony, exploring pour-on formulations, thereafter, smaller-scale indicator surveys could adequately monitor notable gastrointestinal parasites.