在佛羅里達州，受皰疹感染的猴子數量正在增加，而且并沒有阻止它們的計劃

在佛羅里達州，受皰疹感染的猴子數量正在增加，而且并沒有阻止它們的計劃

A group of invasive herpes-carrying monkeys is expanding its range in central Florida and officials have yet to put a management plan in place to mitigate and control their spread.

一群攜帶皰疹病毒的侵入性猴子正在佛羅里達州中部擴大活動范圍，官員們還沒有制定管理計劃來減緩和控制它們的擴散。

Rhesus macaques have been making headlines in the sunshine state ever since their inaugural appearance at Silver Springs State Park (SSSP) in the 1930s. At the time, a boat operator released 18 individuals on an island to bolster local tourism, not knowing they could swim to surrounding areas, according to the University of Florida. But now, the charismatic primates appear to be spreading beyond their initial grounds without a plan in place to mitigate their impact. Just a few weeks ago, a monkey “showed up” in Jacksonville, Florida. Others have been spotted along the northeast coast of Florida

自從上世紀30年代，恒河猴首次出現在銀泉州立公園(SSSP)以來，它們就一直是這個陽光之州的頭條新聞。據佛羅里達大學(University of Florida)稱，當時，一名船主為了促進當地旅游業(yè)，在一個島上釋放了18人，卻不知道他們可以游到周邊地區(qū)。但現在，這種有魅力的靈長類動物似乎正在它們最初的領地之外蔓延，卻沒有一個適當的計劃來減輕它們的影響。就在幾周前，一只猴子“出現”在佛羅里達州的杰克遜維爾。在佛羅里達的東北海岸也發(fā)現了一些

“My guess is that a monkey that has left one of the established groups has set off on its own, and that sort of thing may be more and more common, creating more and more potential for human interaction,” Dr Steve A. Johnson, associate professor at the Department of Wildlife Ecology & Conservation at the University of Florida, told IFLScience in an interview.

“我的猜測是，一只離開了某個已建立的群體的猴子開始了自己的活動，這類事情可能會越來越普遍，為人類互動創(chuàng)造越來越多的潛力，”佛羅里達大學野生動物生態(tài)與保護系副教授Steve A. Johnson博士在接受IFLScience采訪時表示。

Macaca mulatta are highly adaptable and can thrive in a number of environments, often wreaking havoc when introduced to new habitats. Thousands of macaques released on Morgan Island, South Carolina, for biomedical research elevated the risk of E. coli and the introduction of the monkeys in the Florida Keys destroyed red mangroves, leading to shoreline erosion. In central Florida today, macaques are known to eat eggs from native bird nests, as well as eat around 50 native plant species, and frequent coastal environments during the weekend when recreational boaters show up to illegally feed them.

獼猴適應能力強，能在多種環(huán)境中茁壯成長，當它們被引入新的棲息地時，往往會造成嚴重破壞。數千只獼猴被放生在南卡羅來納州的摩根島，用于生物醫(yī)學研究，這增加了大腸桿菌的風險，而在佛羅里達群島引入的獼猴破壞了紅樹林，導致了海岸線的侵蝕。如今，在佛羅里達州中部，獼猴以本地鳥巢里的蛋為食，還以大約50種本地植物為食。周末，當游船上的游船客非法給它們喂食時，它們經常出沒于沿海地區(qū)。

The macaques also carry herpes B virus.

獼猴也攜帶B型皰疹病毒。

“We know that [the monkeys] carry herpes B virus and we know that herpes B virus is lethal in people, so that sets up the possibility that if the population increases and they interact with people more, someone may be hurt,” said Johnson, adding that there is a low risk and likelihood that such interaction would occur, but such incidents would carry with them a high consequence. Herpes B in humans can degrade one's quality of life, present neurological issues, and prove fatal.

“我們知道猴子攜帶了B型皰疹病毒，我們也知道B型皰疹病毒對人類是致命的，所以這就造成了一種可能性，如果種群數量增加，它們與人類的接觸增多，就可能有人受傷。”約翰遜說，這樣的互動發(fā)生的風險和可能性很低，但這樣的事件會帶來很高的后果。B型皰疹會降低人的生活質量，出現神經系統(tǒng)問題，甚至致命。

Figure 6. Rhesus macaque in an aggressive stance to a woman attempting to feed it. Jane Anderson/University of Florida

It is unknown whether herpes B can spread to people in the wild. Despite 18 reports of macaque bites or scratches in Florida, there has not been a single monkey-to-person transmission in the state. However, there are some 50 cases of human herpes B virus infections from macaques in laboratory settings, almost exclusively from bites and scratches from infected animals – half of these cases were fatal. Any risk of exposure to the potentially fatal pathogen should prompt management plans to limit the transmission of the virus, advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

目前還不清楚B型皰疹是否會在野外傳播給人類。盡管佛羅里達州有18起獼猴咬傷或抓傷的報告，但該州還沒有一例猴傳人病例。然而，在實驗室環(huán)境中，大約有50例人類B型皰疹病毒感染來自獼猴，幾乎全部來自受感染動物的咬傷和抓傷——這些病例中有一半是致命的。美國疾病控制與預防中心建議說，任何接觸這種可能致命的病原體的風險都應該促使管理部門制定計劃，限制病毒的傳播。

But Johnson says that there is currently no management plan in place. Between 1998 and 2012, a private trapper sponsored by the government caught more than 800 monkeys in the SSSP area to be sold to research facilities, but public outcry soon halted the operation. Today, the population continues to increase with between 200 and 300 individuals in the 1,860-hectare park (4,600 acres), and without a plan in place, researchers estimate that the population will double from its 2015 population by 2022.

但是約翰遜說，目前還沒有適當的管理計劃。從1998年到2012年，一個由政府贊助的私人獵人在SSSP地區(qū)捕捉了800多只猴子，準備賣給研究機構，但公眾的強烈抗議很快就停止了這項行動。如今，這個占地1860公頃(4600英畝)的公園的人口還在繼續(xù)增長，大約有200到300人。如果沒有一個適當的計劃，研究人員估計，到2022年，公園的人口將比2015年翻一番。

“It’s a challenge and I’m hoping that through all of this attention the general public realizes that while [the monkeys] are cute and it’s not their fault that they are there, they are there and they are carrying a disease that is potentially fatal to people,” said Johnson. “They are not native and they shouldn’t be here.”

“這是一個挑戰(zhàn)，我希望通過所有這些關注，讓公眾意識到雖然猴子很可愛，它們在那里不是它們的錯，它們在那里，攜帶著一種對人類可能致命的疾病，”約翰遜說。“它們不是本地的，不應該在這里。”

Florida has the most non-native wildlife species introduction of any state, and the management and mitigation of those species cost more than $500 million annually. Macaques aren’t the only primates in the state either; Florida is also home to established populations of squirrel and vervet monkeys, as well as Burmese pythons and other invasive reptiles, as well as feral cats and pigs.

佛羅里達州是引進外來野生物種最多的州，而管理和減少這些物種的成本每年超過5億美元。獼猴也不是該州唯一的靈長類動物;佛羅里達也是松鼠和長尾猴、緬甸巨蟒和其他侵入性爬行動物、野貓和豬的聚居地。

A juvenile rhesus macaque consuming vegetation in Silver Springs State Park. Jane Anderson/University of Florida