What illnesses do gorillas suffer from?
Gorillas can get infected with most diseases suffered by humans. For this reason it is very important that tourists keep as far away from the animals as possible. In the distribution range of the mountain gorillas, the climate is wet and cold, which the gorillas are not optimally adapted to. Respiratory tract diseases, particularly pneumonia, are the most frequent cause of death in mountain gorillas.
Gorillas only rarely have teeth cavities. Mountain gorillas in particular almost never suffer from it, as their food contains very little fruit and hence little sugar. Instead, in the mountain gorillas bad tartar leads to periodontitis, dissolving of the jaw bones and finally to the loss of teeth.
Most free-ranging gorillas have parasites, mainly intestinal parasites (protozoans or worms). Some of these parasites affect humans and gorillas equally, others specialize in gorillas. Various malaria parasites also affect gorillas, but usually they are different species than those that affect humans.
Many gorillas hurt themselves when they get entangled in a snare with a hand or foot. The wound can get infected and the gorilla may even die from this injury.
A severe danger for whole gorilla populations are epidemics like ebola. Viruses like the ebola virus can be transferred from gorillas to humans (and of course vice-versa).