Fever is a common clinical symptom of an infection due to malaria, dengue, typhoid fever, or
other infections. However, not all fever can be definitely diagnosed because this symptom,
even in severe clinical appearance, may self-recover without knowing the specific infection
agent. Physicians can sometimes exclude some definite infections but still we do not know the
exact aetiology. Lay people may belief that it is because of new moon cycle, due to common
physical development, or even related to supernatural causes.

The northeastern part of the Island of Sulawesi (Indonesia) shows some ethnic groups
with different characteristics, for instance, the Minahasa, the Bolaang Mongondow, and the
Gorontalo. The Minahasa ethnicity is predominantly Christian while the ethnic groups of
Bolaang Mongondow and Gorontalo are predominantly Muslim. This characteristic brings
them also to different habits of food consumption. One of the specific practices of Minahasa
people is the intake of wild animals such as forest bat, wild pig, wild forest rat, monkey, snake
(especially python), lizard, some wild birds, and other wild animals. On the other hand, the two
last mentioned ethnic groups who are of Muslim faith are prohibited to consume such extreme
food. In relation to above Minahasa food consumption practices, the mentioned wild animals
have been hunted for years, a fact which has significantly decreased their number until now.
Today, we may find these animals only in the forests of Bolaang Mongondow and Gorontalo.
These realities result in a different way of human exposure to the wild animals: The animal
exposure of Minahasa people is predominantly due to their animal food consumption while the
exposure of Bolaang Mongondow and Gorontalo persons is mainly due to their role as hunters
and catchers.

There are also some villages in Bolaang Mongondow and Gorontalo region which are
inhabited by Minahasa people who are predominantly Christian. As mentioned above they
experience a different wild animal exposure compared to the (mainly Muslim) local people of
Bolaang Mongondow and Gorontalo although they share the same environment. These two
different ways of exposure of differing people but who live in the same location can therefore
be compared scientifically to each other: One way of exposure due to wild animal
intake/consumption and one way without any animal intake/consumption.

This study aims to know and understand the aetiology of unknown fever, in particular
fever which may be caused by the exposure of Bolaang Mongondow and Gorontalo people
hunting and catching wild animals, and the relevant social and cultural practices of members
of these two ethnic groups. This research follows thus a scientific perspective of molecular,
clinical and anthropological approaches in particular by applying their respective scientific
methodological procedures.