{"id":13189,"date":"2026-08-17T06:07:20","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T06:07:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=13189"},"modified":"2026-08-17T06:07:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T06:07:20","slug":"in-the-1930s-florida-introduced-rhesus-macaques-to-boost-tourism-today-the-invasive-monkeys-carry-a-potentially-fatal-virus-and-are-considered-a-public-health-concern","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=13189","title":{"rendered":"In the 1930s, Florida introduced rhesus macaques to boost tourism; today the invasive monkeys carry a potentially fatal virus and are considered a public-health concern"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Nonhuman primates (NHPs) can harbour multiple zoonotic pathogens owing to their close phylogenetic relationship and frequent interactions with humans. They can also be extremely successful ecological invaders. Within the United States, fewer than or equal to NHP species have been introduced and of them, the rhesus macaque has successfully established populations in Florida and Puerto Rico. The animals are the most frequently used NHP species in biomedical research. In laboratory settings, rhesus macaques are considered an occupational health threat because they harbour macacine herpesvirus 1, also known as herpes B virus. Now, they might carry this virus in the wild and transmit it to humans, as per a report by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.<\/p>\n

An attempt at boosting tourism<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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A species native to Asia, they were introduced to Silver Springs State Park in Florida in the 1930s in an attempt to increase tourism and make boat tours more exciting for visitors.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

In the American state of Florida, the rhesus macaque is an invasive species with a high reproductive capacity, the ability to spread in geographic distribution and the potential to threaten native fauna with extinction. A species native to Asia, they were introduced to Silver Springs State Park in Florida in the 1930s in an attempt to increase tourism and make boat tours more exciting for visitors.The population was founded with 12 animals from an unknown source in 2 separate introduction events. The population grew to a peak of 400 animals in the 1980s and spread into adjacent forests along the Ocklawaha River. In 2015, a population of 175 rhesus macaques lived in Silver Springs State Park.McHV-1 antibody production was first detected in this population in 1992. Of 29 trapped animals, 12 (41%) were found to be seropositive. During 1984\u20132012, 1,000 animals were removed intermittently by permit-holding private trappers, but the practice of animal trapping ended because of public controversy and eventually stopped, leaving the population largely unmanaged.<\/p>\n

The virus in question<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

The virus is closely related to the herpesviruses that cause cold sores and genital herpes in humans, but it behaves very differently once it crosses into a person. In macaques, the virus is essentially a non-issue; infected monkeys show no signs of illness. But if a human becomes infected, the outcome can be severe: roughly half of untreated human cases result in fatal encephalitis, a dangerous inflammation of the brain. Transmission has typically occurred via exposure to macaque bodily fluids, including bites and scratches, although an instance of human-to-human transmission has been reported.Like other herpesviruses, once a macaque is infected, the virus doesn’t go away. It retreats into nerve tissue and lies dormant. Periodically, often triggered by stress, it reactivates and starts shedding from the mouth, nose, or genital area, without producing any visible symptoms in the monkey. That’s the dangerous window: an infected macaque can look and act completely healthy while still being contagious.Transmission to humans typically happens through bites, scratches, or direct contact with infected fluids. It’s a well-documented occupational hazard in research laboratories that house macaques, but almost nothing was known about the risk posed by wild, free-ranging macaque populations, including the one living in a popular Florida state park.<\/p>\n

An enlightening research<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

A team of researchers from the University of Florida and the University of Washington set out to answer three basic questions about the Silver Springs macaques:<\/p>\n

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