Florida introduced rhesus macaques for tourism in the 1930s, now they carry a potentially fatal virus

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.An attempt at boosting tourismA 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.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...