Wild primate populations in emerging infectious disease research: the missing link?
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Updated: Oct 29, 2026

Whole Genome Sequencing for Rapid Characterization of Rabies Virus Using Nanopore Technology
Published on: August 18, 2023
N D Wolfe1, A A Escalante, W B Karesh
1Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Abstract:
Wild primate populations, an unexplored source of information regarding emerging infectious disease, may hold valuable clues to the origins and evolution of some important pathogens. Primates can act as reservoirs for human pathogens. As members of biologically diverse habitats, they serve as sentinels for surveillance of emerging pathogens and provide models for basic research on natural transmission dynamics. Since emerging infectious diseases also pose serious threats to endangered and threatened primate species, studies of these diseases in primate populations can benefit conservation efforts and may provide the missing link between laboratory studies and the well-recognized needs of early disease detection, identification, and surveillance.
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