Parasite community structure in sympatric Bornean primates

• Parasites are important components of ecosystems. There is scarce coverage wild primate parasites in Southeast Asia. We characterise gastrointestinal helminth assemblages a community Bornean primates. This study adds and provides new parasite records for primates the wild. Biodiversity baselines fundamental to monitor future changes biodiversity. ecosystems, influencing trophic networks, competitive interactions biodiversity patterns. Nonetheless, we not nearly close disentangling their complex roles natural systems. Asia falls within global areas targeted as most likely source with zoonotic potential, where high rates land conversion fragmentation have altered circulation wildlife species parasites, potentially resulting host-parasite Although overall region predicts equally high, or even higher, diversity, know surprisingly little about though this constitutes first step towards more comprehensive understanding transmission processes. Here, living along Kinabatangan floodplain Sabah (Malaysian Borneo), including two endemic island. Through parasitological analyses, by using several measures infection proxies diversity distribution, show that (i) taxonomic groups limited single host, suggesting greater flexibility habitat disturbance, (ii) infracommunities nocturnal differ from diurnal counterparts, reflecting both phylogenetic ecological constraints, (iii) soil-transmitted helminths such whipworm, threadworm nodule worm widespread across community. also southern pig-tailed macaques ( Macaca nemestrina ), silvered langurs Trachypithecus cristatus ) Western tarsiers Cephalopachus bancanus wild, while adding other Given information gap regarding primate-parasite associations region, presented here should prove relevant studies infectious disease ecology elsewhere.