A virus long associated with humans and Old World apes has now been detected in wild New World primates in the Amazon. The findings provide scientists a striking example of how increasing human contact with wildlife may be reshaping disease transmission.
A study published in EcoHealth reported that 17 of 49 primates tested in human-impacted areas of the Brazilian Amazon were positive for hepatitis B virus (HBV), a positivity rate of 34.7%. By contrast, none of 39 primates tested in a remote area along the upper Japurá River carried detectable HBV.