Jonas Torfs

Research themes

Primatology
Microbiology & microbial ecology
Animal behaviour

Responsibilities

As a postdoctoral researcher at the Laboratory of Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology (LAMB) at the University of Antwerp (UA) and the Antwerp ZOO Centre for Research and Conservation (CRC), I study the gut and vaginal microbiome in bonobos. The microbiome is the collective name for bacteria in the gut and vagina.

Research interests

The gut and vaginal microbiome play an important role in regulating the health of both humans and animals. The vaginal microbiome, for example, forms an important line of defense against infectious bacteria, protecting the health of the female host and her unborn offspring, while the gut microbiome aids in protecting against gastrointestinal infections, as well as helping with digestion of food. Bonobos are highly social animals, meaning bacteria can easily transmit between individuals through their physical contact: both good and bad ones. For example, bonobos are well-known for using sexual interactions as a social bonding mechanism, meaning females regularly get into contact with vaginal bacteria from other females, which might be positive, or perhaps negative.

In my postdoctoral research, I investigate transmission patterns of bacteria between the vaginal microbiomes of bonobos through sociosexual routes, but also through mother-daughter transmission and between the gut and the vagina of the same female. Moreover, I study whether the bacteria found in the vaginal microbiome possess antibacterial mechanisms that give them the ability to fend off potentially infectious bacteria. In general, my research focuses on how microbiomes are impacted by social behaviour of the host, and how the microbiome themselves can maintain their stability. To collect all this data, I work closely with various zoos around Europe and the United States that house bonobos.

Brief biography

All aspects of the living world have always fascinated me, so the choice was quickly made for me to study biology. I completed my bachelor Biology and master Evolution and Behavioral Biology at the University of Antwerp. During my training I was able to work with a wide variety of animal species, including hermit crabs, vervet monkeys, canaries, blue tits, and lizards. For my master's thesis, I investigated social tolerance during a co-feeding experiment in chimpanzees and bonobos, gaining my first experience in observing bonobos and analyzing social behavior. For my PhD, I focused on investigating what drives variation in the gut microbiome in bonobos, including the role of social transmission. Now I am extending my research on the bonobo microbiome to the vaginal microbiome.

Key publications

Bryon, E., Roth, T. S., Torfs, J. R., Eens, M., van Leeuwen, E. J., & Staes, N. (2026). Chimpanzees are not more aggressive than bonobos but target sexes differently. Science Advances, 12(11), eadz2433.

Torfs, J. R., Kreyer, M., Wittouck, S., Ahannach, S., Fruth, B., Lebeer, S., Marcel Eens & Staes, N. (2025). A comprehensive atlas of the bonobo gut bacteriome and its associated host and exposome factors. Cell reports, 44(8).

Torfs, J. R., Eens, M., Laméris, D. W., Stevens, J. M., Verspeek, J., Guery, J. P., & Staes, N. (2023). Visually assessed body condition shows high heritability in a pedigreed great ape population. American Journal of Primatology, 85(10), e23540.

Torfs, J. R. R., Stevens, J. M. G., Verspeek, J., Laméris, D. W., Guéry, J-P., Eens, M., & Staes, N. (2023). Multi-group analysis of grooming network position in a highly social primate. PLOS ONE, 18(4), e0284361. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0284361

Torfs, J. R., Eens, M., Laméris, D. W., & Staes, N. (2021). Respiratory disease risk of zoo-housed bonobos is associated with sex and betweenness centrality in the proximity network. Animals, 11(12), 3597.