Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 12, 2026

Screening Foodstuffs for Class 1 Integrons and Gene Cassettes
09:37

Screening Foodstuffs for Class 1 Integrons and Gene Cassettes

Published on: June 19, 2015

Accumulation of antimicrobial resistance genes in wild chimpanzees

Coch Tanguy Floyde Tanga1,2,3, Markus Ulrich3, J Benjamin Stielow3,4

  • 1Department of Biology and Animal Ecology, Research Institute for Tropical Ecology (IRET/CENAREST), Libreville BP 13354, Gabon.

The ISME Journal
|July 9, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing global threat. A 17-year study in Côte d'Ivoire found increasing antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in wild chimpanzees, linked to regional drug use.

Area of Science:

  • Environmental science
  • Microbiology
  • Primatology

Background:

  • Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a significant public health risk.
  • Sub-Saharan Africa faces challenges with unregulated antibiotic use, potentially accelerating AMR.
  • Human-animal interfaces in these regions may facilitate AMR transmission to wildlife.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the longitudinal increase of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in wild chimpanzees.
  • To determine if widespread antimicrobial compound use in West Africa correlates with rising ARGs in wildlife.
  • To assess ARG spread in chimpanzees within Taï National Park, Côte d'Ivoire.

Main Methods:

  • A 17-year longitudinal study analyzing 410 fecal samples from three wild chimpanzee groups.
  • Utilized hybridization capture and high-throughput sequencing to screen for over 2,000 ARGs.
  • Focused on chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) in Taï National Park, West Africa's largest primary rainforest.

Main Results:

  • Observed a significant increase in both the abundance and diversity of ARGs in the chimpanzee population over 17 years.
  • Documented a rise in various antimicrobial resistance (AMR) classes.
  • Correlated the increase of ARGs in chimpanzees with regional and global trends.

Conclusions:

  • Widespread antimicrobial compound use in West Africa is associated with increased ARGs in remote wild chimpanzee populations.
  • Wild chimpanzees can serve as indicators of environmental antimicrobial pollution and resistance.
  • Findings highlight the interconnectedness of human activities, AMR spread, and wildlife health.
Keywords:
Antibiotic resistance genesWest Africalongitudinal analysiswildlife

More Related Videos

Testing the Role of Multicopy Plasmids in the Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance09:00

Testing the Role of Multicopy Plasmids in the Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance

Published on: May 2, 2018

Isolation and Identification of Waterborne Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria and Molecular Characterization of their Antibiotic Resistance Genes08:58

Isolation and Identification of Waterborne Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria and Molecular Characterization of their Antibiotic Resistance Genes

Published on: March 3, 2023

Related Concept Videos

Antibiotic Selection00:57

Antibiotic Selection

Overview
Development of Antibiotic Resistance01:30

Development of Antibiotic Resistance

Antibiotic resistance is a major public health concern that arises when bacteria evolve mechanisms to withstand the effects of antibiotic treatments. This resistance can be intrinsic, acquired through genetic mutations, or transferred between bacteria via horizontal gene transfer. The development of antibiotic resistance poses significant challenges in treating bacterial infections and necessitates ongoing research to develop new therapeutic strategies.Intrinsic resistance occurs when bacterial...
Mechanism of Antibiotic Resistance in MRSA01:25

Mechanism of Antibiotic Resistance in MRSA

Antibiotic resistance in bacteria arises when microorganisms evolve the ability to withstand drugs designed to kill them or inhibit their growth, rendering once-effective treatments useless. This phenomenon, driven by genetic change and selection under antibiotic exposure, poses a profound threat to modern medicine. Mechanisms include drug-inactivating enzymes (e.g., β-lactamases), efflux pumps that eject antibiotics, mutations altering antibiotic targets, decreased drug uptake, and acquisition...
Clinical Significance of Antibiotic Resistance01:25

Clinical Significance of Antibiotic Resistance

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) presents a critical public health threat, arising from its capacity to resist β-lactam antibiotics due to acquisition of the mecA gene within the staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec). This gene encodes penicillin-binding protein 2a (PBP2a), which impairs binding efficacy of methicillin and other β-lactams. MRSA has evolved into distinct clonal lineages impacting humans and animals alike, reinforcing its significance within the One...
Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes03:21

Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes

While every living organism has a genome of some kind (be it RNA, or DNA), there is considerable variation in the sizes of these blueprints. One major factor that impacts genome size is whether the organism is prokaryotic or eukaryotic. In prokaryotes, the genome contains little to no non-coding sequence, such that genes are tightly clustered in groups or operons sequentially along the chromosome. Conversely, the genes in eukaryotes are punctuated by long stretches of non-coding sequence.
Viral Mutations00:36

Viral Mutations

A mutation is a change in the sequence of bases of DNA or RNA in a genome. Some mutations occur during replication of the genome due to errors made by the polymerase enzymes that replicate DNA or RNA. Unlike DNA polymerase, RNA polymerase is prone to errors because it is not capable of “proofreading” its work. Viruses with RNA-based genomes, like HIV, therefore accrue mutations faster than viruses with DNA-based genomes. Because mutation and recombination provide the raw material for adaptive...