Nature Communications (Feb 2021)

A Sarcina bacterium linked to lethal disease in sanctuary chimpanzees in Sierra Leone

  • Leah A. Owens,
  • Barbara Colitti,
  • Ismail Hirji,
  • Andrea Pizarro,
  • Jenny E. Jaffe,
  • Sophie Moittié,
  • Kimberly A. Bishop-Lilly,
  • Luis A. Estrella,
  • Logan J. Voegtly,
  • Jens H. Kuhn,
  • Garret Suen,
  • Courtney L. Deblois,
  • Christopher D. Dunn,
  • Carles Juan-Sallés,
  • Tony L. Goldberg

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-21012-x
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12, no. 1
pp. 1 – 16

Abstract

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Infections with bacteria of the genus Sarcina are associated with gastric diseases of unclear etiology. Here, Owens et al. show that infection with a distinct Sarcina species is strongly associated with a lethal disease that affects sanctuary chimpanzees in Sierra Leone.