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  1. Meijaard E, Sherman J, Ancrenaz M, Wich SA, Santika T, Voigt M
    Curr Biol, 2018 11 05;28(21):R1241-R1242.
    PMID: 30399343 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.09.052
    A recent report, published by the Government of Indonesia with support from the Food and Agricultural Organization and Norway's International Climate and Forest Initiative, states that orangutan populations (Pongo spp.) have increased by more than 10% in Indonesia from 2015 to 2017, exceeding the government target of an annual 2% population increase [1]. This assessment is in strong contrast with recent publications that showed that the Bornean orangutan (P. pygmaeus) lost more than 100,000 individuals in the past 16 years [2] and declined by at least 25% over the past 10 years [3]. Furthermore, recent work has also demonstrated that both Sumatran orangutans (P. abelii) and the recently described Tapanuli orangutan (P. tapanuliensis) lost more than 60% of their key habitats between 1985 and 2007, and ongoing land use changes are expected to result in an 11-27% decline in their populations by 2020 [4,5]. Most scientific data indicate that the survival of these species continues to be seriously threatened by deforestation and killing [4,6,7] and thus all three are Critically Endangered under the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List.
  2. Sherman J, Unwin S, Travis DA, Oram F, Wich SA, Jaya RL, et al.
    Front Vet Sci, 2021;8:749547.
    PMID: 34869722 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2021.749547
    Critically Endangered orangutans are translocated in several situations: reintroduced into historic range where no wild populations exist, released to reinforce existing wild populations, and wild-to-wild translocated to remove individuals from potentially risky situations. Translocated orangutans exposed to human diseases, including Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), pose risks to wild and previously released conspecifics. Wildlife disease risk experts recommended halting great ape translocations during the COVID-19 pandemic to minimize risk of disease transmission to wild populations. We collected data on orangutan releases and associated disease risk management in Indonesia during the COVID-19 pandemic, and developed a problem description for orangutan disease and conservation risks. We identified that at least 15 rehabilitated ex-captive and 27 wild captured orangutans were released during the study period. Identified disease risks included several wild-to-wild translocated orangutans in direct contact or proximity to humans without protective equipment, and formerly captive rehabilitated orangutans that have had long periods of contact and potential exposure to human diseases. While translocation practitioners typically employ mitigation measures to decrease disease transmission likelihood, these measures cannot eliminate all risk, and are not consistently applied. COVID-19 and other diseases of human origin can be transmitted to orangutans, which could have catastrophic impacts on wild orangutans, other susceptible fauna, and humans should disease transmission occur. We recommend stakeholders conduct a Disease Risk Analysis for orangutan translocation, and improve pathogen surveillance and mitigation measures to decrease the likelihood of potential outbreaks. We also suggest refocusing conservation efforts on alternatives to wild-to-wild translocation including mitigating human-orangutan interactions, enforcing laws and protecting orangutan habitats to conserve orangutans in situ.
  3. Obermann W, Azri MFD, Konopka L, Schmidt N, Magari F, Sherman J, et al.
    Sci Rep, 2023 Jun 08;13(1):9297.
    PMID: 37291191 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-35765-6
    Inhibition of eukaryotic initiation factor 4A has been proposed as a strategy to fight pathogens. Rocaglates exhibit the highest specificities among eIF4A inhibitors, but their anti-pathogenic potential has not been comprehensively assessed across eukaryotes. In silico analysis of the substitution patterns of six eIF4A1 aa residues critical to rocaglate binding, uncovered 35 variants. Molecular docking of eIF4A:RNA:rocaglate complexes, and in vitro thermal shift assays with select recombinantly expressed eIF4A variants, revealed that sensitivity correlated with low inferred binding energies and high melting temperature shifts. In vitro testing with silvestrol validated predicted resistance in Caenorhabditis elegans and Leishmania amazonensis and predicted sensitivity in Aedes sp., Schistosoma mansoni, Trypanosoma brucei, Plasmodium falciparum, and Toxoplasma gondii. Our analysis further revealed the possibility of targeting important insect, plant, animal, and human pathogens with rocaglates. Finally, our findings might help design novel synthetic rocaglate derivatives or alternative eIF4A inhibitors to fight pathogens.
  4. Watts N, Amann M, Arnell N, Ayeb-Karlsson S, Beagley J, Belesova K, et al.
    Lancet, 2021 Jan 09;397(10269):129-170.
    PMID: 33278353 DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)32290-X
    For the Chinese, French, German, and Spanish translations of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.
  5. Romanello M, McGushin A, Di Napoli C, Drummond P, Hughes N, Jamart L, et al.
    Lancet, 2021 Oct 30;398(10311):1619-1662.
    PMID: 34687662 DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(21)01787-6
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