Volume 18, Number 2—February 2012 Survey of Infections
Transmissible Between Baboons and Humans, Cape Town, South
Africa Baboons on South Africa’s Cape Peninsula come in frequent
contact with humans. To determine potential health risks for
both species, we screened 27 baboons from 5 troops for 10
infections. Most (56%) baboons had antibodies reactive or cross-
reactive to human viruses. Spatial overlap between these species
poses low but potential health risks. The Cape Peninsula in
South Africa is home to many species of wildlife, including ≈470
chacma baboons (Papio ursinus), which are a major tourist
attraction and source of chronic conflict for local residents.
Urban and agricultural land transformation has encroached
markedly on the preferred natural habitat of baboons (1), and
the 16 remaining troops on the Peninsula have been forced into
marginal areas and are geographically isolated from all other
baboon populations (Figure 1). The loss of preferred habitat,
coupled with expanding numbers and a prefere