Date of Award

5-2015

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Departmental Honors

Department

Sociology, Social Work, and Anthropology

Abstract

Due to genetic similarity, non-human primates are often the focus of zoonotic infectious disease research. The objective of zoonotic disease research can vary depending upon whether the study is focusing on human health or the health of wild non-human primate populations. Research with non-human primates is often associated with their use in medical laboratories for the benefit of human health. However, other studies focus on both the health of wild non-human primate populations and human interactions. This study reviews zoonotic disease research published in three main primatology journals: American Journal of Primatology, International Journal of Primatology, and Primates. Reviewing journals from within the field of Primatology establishes common trends and sets a baseline for further research to work off of. To find these common trends each article was categorized based off of the research's primary objective in question. Furthermore, this study looks at how zoonotic disease impacts primate conservation and whether or not current research is looking into this. As anthropogenic habitat destruction increases, humans and non-human primates interact more, which leads to an increase in disease transmission. Zoonotic disease negatively impacts both human and non-human primate populations. Many non-human primate populations are endangered and disease transmission further affects conservation efforts.

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Faculty Mentor

Nanda Grow

Departmental Honors Advisor

Bonnie Glass-Coffin