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After reviewing my past blog entries, I noticed that they all reference medical discoveries involving humans. Born and raised with a love for animals,
Since Lemurs are primates, it's safe to say their Phylogenetic relationship is extremely close with those of humans. Lemurs are vulnerable to human diseases such as West Nile virus, Malaria, HIV, Ebola, and Nipah virus all transmitted to lemurs very easily. The forested habitat of lemurs is being demolished on the daily due to the rapid growth of the human population. The contact between humans and lemurs is becoming more frequent. Already declared as an endangered species, the Lemur is at more of a risk of extinction, mainly because of the human contact they have been introduced to over the years. The wide spread problem of cross disease transfer between animals and humans is a pressing issue to wildlife in Madagascar, since 90 percent of the forested habitat has been subjected to human contact because of deforestation.
I must admit, when I first saw these adorable creatures running past my feet at the Duke Lemur Center this January, it was incredibly hard to keep my hands off! But, I knew my body carried harmful toxins that the lemurs were not yet immune to and the very strong possibility of one of them mauling me. Without lemurs, the regeneration of forests would suffer. The Ringtailed Lemurs' regular droppings create the forests structure by depositing different seeds throughout the land. With lemurs loosing their habitat, and being affected by human diseases, the lemur population is at an all time low.
Hopefully, more research centers will take into consideration having lemurs bred at their facillities. It may sound crazy but some of our own diseases can become more treatable by studying them through an animal! At the Stanford School of Medecine, scientists in 2008 made a discovery that allowed scientists to view AIDS in a way they never did before. By studying the genome of a gray mouse lemur, scientists were able to investigate why non-human primates were able to carry the HIV-virus but not be affected.
I know this may not be the "norm" for a MedSci Discovery blog but, I just wanted to mix things up a bit and make it more interesting! Stay tuned for more great blogs to come! Thank you MedSci readers for the support and interest over the past year!
Image Credit: (via Flickr)
"Lemurs Crucial for the Health of Madagascar's Rainforests ." Lemurs Crucial for the Health of Madagascar's Rainforests . © Copyright 2012 Roehampton University, 25 Aug. 2011. Web. .
Barrett, Meredith. "Lemur Disease Ecology: Linking Health, Ecosystem Viability & Conservation in Madagascar Duke University Center for International Studies."Duke University Center for International Studies. Copyright © 1995-2012 Duke University Center for International Studies, 21 Oct. 2008. Web.