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10/13/22
Madagascar: An epidemic of tuberculosis mourns the park of Antananarivo
By: Rivonala Razafison
[ANTANANARIVO] Lemurs, endemic primates of Madagascar , in captivity at the Botanical and Zoological Park of Tsimbazaza (PBZT), in the city of Antananarivo, died after contracting tuberculosis .
The Pasteur Institute of Madagascar, which analyzed the bodies of the deceased animals, confirmed the information relayed by the international press and corroborated by the authorities.
The first death, which occurred on August 12, 2022, struck an individual of the species “ Propithecus verreauxi” .
In total, out of 56 lemur specimens, twelve tested positive; and eight of these did not survive. The deceased lemurs being of the species ' Varecia variegata'.
“Sick visitors who coughed or sneezed near the animals in the park would have transmitted the bacillus to them through the droplets released into the air”
Jonah Ratsimbazafy, International Primatological Society
“The disease also killed a young fossa, the largest carnivorous mammal on the island, whose cage is close to those of the lemurs,” says Heriniaina Ramanankierana, Director General of Scientific Research (DGRS). He leads the scientific committee set up to manage the health crisis due to tuberculosis at the PBZT.
The circumstances of the contamination have yet to be determined. "The park employees have all tested negative," said Elia Béatrice Assoumacou, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research.
This prompts us to think about the external origin of animal pathology. “There may be several unidentified leads. The investigation is ongoing,” adds Heriniaina Ramanankierana. The contact of tuberculosis patients with animals would be a probable source, from the point of view of Jonah Ratsimbazafy, president of the Study and research group on the primates of Madagascar and current president of the International Primatological Society .
"Sick visitors who coughed or sneezed near the animals in the park would have transmitted the bacillus to them through the droplets released into the air", suspects the primatologist. A hypothesis also credited by the Director General of Research, Heriniaina Ramanankierana.
Indeed, visitors to the park tend to get too close to the animals despite the instructions and safety devices to prevent any contact with the animals, plants and other cultural objects present on the site.
More than 37,000 cases of human TB were diagnosed in Madagascar in 2019 according to a report published in 2021 by the World Health Organization .
The National Tuberculosis Control Program (PNLT) is therefore included in the committee set up to respond to this crisis; as will soon be a team from the Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development .
“The purpose of the committee is to sustainably assist the park in tracking and monitoring the animals. Depending on their expertise, the committee members each give advice that the park implements. We started by treating sick animals and those in contact with them. They are strictly forbidden to visit unless authorized by the PNLT which draws up the treatment protocol”, explains Heriniaina Ramanankierana after the first meeting of the committee in the afternoon of Monday, October 10.
New law
A sustainable plan was discussed which should include the development of a new law on animals in captivity. National legislation has so far only considered the case of animals whose meat is intended for consumption.
The immediate isolation of sick animals and those in contact with them is also an emergency response action.
“They are on treatment. They can heal. All animals should be subject to a monitoring protocol from the Directorate of Veterinary Services (DSV) which is an integral part of the scientific committee,” says Heriniaina Ramanankierana.
Jonah Ratsimbazafy, for his part, suggests the temporary closure of the park and the systematic culling of infected animals.
“This is what zoos abroad do in light of the standards and ethics of use in such circumstances,” he explains. Officials, however, rule out the idea of systematic slaughter because these are animals threatened with extinction . They are also far from deciding the temporary closure of the park.
Lemurs in particular are the emblematic species of Madagascar. So far, 112 species have been identified. These mammals at the mercy of ever-increasing pressures are increasingly fragile.
Social distancing and mandatory mask-wearing are among the options on the committee's table. At the end of the first confinement due to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, Madagascar National Parks had imposed the same requirements on any visit inside national parks to avoid contamination of animals.
The public in general is not yet aware of the crisis, like this student met on the site on Monday morning and who says she was only aware of the existence of this animal tuberculosis on the park website.
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Tsimbazaza Zoological Park
An epidemic of tuberculosis which rages in animals worries
Monday, October 10 | Mandimbisoa R.
Concern at the Botanical and Zoological Park of Tsimbazaza (PBZT). In recent weeks, a dozen animals have died. Tuberculosis is believed to be the cause of these deaths.
Ten lemurs belonging to species considered critically endangered died. Eight black and white varis, a sifaka, a macao lemur and a fosa died. Scientists from the Institut Pasteur have confirmed the presence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (tuberculosis) in the tissues of several corpses. Their findings were corroborated by members of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, according to an article in National Geographic magazine, published on October 7.
Two days after the publication of this article, the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research to which the PBZT is attached announces in a terse press release that the necessary would have been done to limit the spread of the disease to other animals. Infected animals are placed in isolation and treated. Others who came into contact with those who died would also be placed in quarantine. The park remained open to the public despite this incident. Signs have been posted to warn visitors.
The real cause of the animal contamination remains undetermined. Park staff were tested but would test negative according to a source at PBZT.
Interviewed by National Geographic, primatologist Jonah Ratsimbazafy says that it is probably the healers and visitors who are at the origin of the transmission of the disease, which is very widespread among humans in the country. Tuberculosis, which has never been observed in lemurs in the wild, was detected in 2019 in a ring-tailed lemur kept as a pet.
"We don't know if these animals can transmit the disease to each other or if they can contaminate humans", specifies the primatologist. But we know humans can transmit TB to lemurs, and we believe the animals caught the disease from people they are, or have been, in close contact with,” Jonah Ratsimbazafy told National Geographic.
The park, where several hundred animals live, is still open to visitors, but Professor Jonah Ratsimbazafy recommends its immediate closure to avoid contamination of caregivers and visitors. According to him, the PBZT would not be able to control this highly contagious disease and must work with national and international veterinarians, as well as medical experts, to stop its spread...
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In Madagascar, an epidemic of tuberculosis in a zoo worries specialists
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In Madagascar, an epidemic of tuberculosis in a zoo worries specialists
Visitors most likely transmitted the disease to lemurs at the zoo.
BY DINA FINE MARON
PUBLISHED 7 OCT 2022, 09:15 CEST
A tuberculosis epidemic is currently raging in a zoo in Madagascar. Several lemurs belonging to species considered critically endangered have already died. This is the first time that the disease has been observed in these animals.
In recent weeks, eight black and white varis, a sifaka and a fossa are believed to have died of tuberculosis at the government-run Tsimbazaza Botanical and Zoological Park (PBZT) in Madagascar's capital, Antananarivo. Scientists from the Institut Pasteur in Madagascar have confirmed the presence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (tuberculosis) in the tissues of several corpses. Their findings were corroborated by members of the International Union for Conservation of Nature .
The zoo, where several hundred animals live, is still open to visitors. Malagasy primatologist Jonah Ratsimbazafy recommends its immediate closure.
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According to the primatologist, it is probably the keepers and visitors who are at the origin of the transmission of the disease, which is very widespread among humans in the country.
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A dozen species of lemurs live in the Botanical and Zoological Park of Tsimbazaza. According to Jonah Ratsimbazafy, this is the first time that black and white varis , sifakas and fossas have contracted the disease. Both lemur species are considered critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature; the fossa is classified as a vulnerable species.
"We don't know if these animals can transmit the disease to each other or if they can contaminate humans", specifies the primatologist. [But] we know that humans can transmit TB to lemurs and we believe the animals caught the disease from people they are, or have been, in close contact with.”
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For Jonah Ratsimbazafy, the closure of the zoo is inevitable so that visitors do not contract tuberculosis from contact with caregivers and animals. According to him, the park is unable to control this highly contagious disease and must work hand in hand with national and international veterinarians, as well as medical experts, to stop its spread.
“Euthanasia of animals is very likely to limit the spread of tuberculosis within the PBZT,” he continues. He strongly advises against capturing lemurs from the wild to replace animals that are already dead or those that could be euthanized.
The island of Madagascar is home to more than a hundred species of lemurs, or about 20% of all primate species in the world.
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