Is the southern patas monkey Erythrocebus baumstarki Africa's next primate extinction? Reassessing taxonomy, distribution, abundance, and conservation.

The "Critically Endangered" southern patas monkey Erythrocebus baumstarki, thought to be endemic to Tanzania, has been resurrected to species level based on its geographic isolation, and on the coloration and pattern of its pelage. This study presents the first evidence for E. baumstarki in Kenya and reviews its historic and current geographic distributions based on the literature, museum specimens, online platforms, responses to requests for site records, and our own fieldwork. The distribution of E. baumstarki in the early 20th century was roughly 66,000 km2 . This has declined about 85% to around 9700 km2 at present (post-2009). The current "Extent of Occurrence" is only about 2150 km2 . This species was extirpated from Kenya in about 2015 and from the Kilimanjaro Region in Tanzania in about 2011. At present, E. baumstarki appears to be restricted to the protected areas of the western Serengeti, with the western Serengeti National Park being the stronghold. The number of individuals remaining is probably between 100 and 200, including between 50 and 100 mature individuals. The ultimate threat to E. baumstarki is the very rapidly increasing human population, while the main proximate threats are the degradation, loss, and fragmentation of natural habitats, and the related competition with people and livestock for habitat and water, particularly during droughts. Other problems are hunting by poachers and domestic dogs, and probably loss of genetic variation and climate change. This article provides recommendations for reducing the threats and promoting the recovery of E. baumstarki. We hope this article heightens awareness of the dire conservation status of E. baumstarki and encourages an increase in research and conservation action for this monkey.

Clinical Characterization of Host Response to Simian Hemorrhagic Fever Virus Infection in Permissive and Refractory Hosts: A Model for Determining Mechanisms of VHF Pathogenesis.

Simian hemorrhagic fever virus (SHFV) causes a fulminant and typically lethal viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF) in macaques (Cercopithecinae: Macaca spp.) but causes subclinical infections in patas monkeys (Cercopithecinae: Erythrocebus patas). This difference in disease course offers a unique opportunity to compare host responses to infection by a VHF-causing virus in biologically similar susceptible and refractory animals. Patas and rhesus monkeys were inoculated side-by-side with SHFV. Unlike the severe disease observed in rhesus monkeys, patas monkeys developed a limited clinical disease characterized by changes in complete blood counts, serum chemistries, and development of lymphadenopathy. Viral RNA was measurable in circulating blood 2 days after exposure, and its duration varied by species. Infectious virus was detected in terminal tissues of both patas and rhesus monkeys. Varying degrees of overlap in changes in serum concentrations of interferon (IFN)-γ, monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1, and interleukin (IL)-6 were observed between patas and rhesus monkeys, suggesting the presence of common and species-specific cytokine responses to infection. Similarly, quantitative immunohistochemistry of livers from terminal monkeys and whole blood flow cytometry revealed varying degrees of overlap in changes in macrophages, natural killer cells, and T-cells. The unexpected degree of overlap in host response suggests that relatively small subsets of a host's response to infection may be responsible for driving hemorrhagic fever pathogenesis. Furthermore, comparative SHFV infection in patas and rhesus monkeys offers an experimental model to characterize host⁻response mechanisms associated with viral hemorrhagic fever and evaluate pan-viral hemorrhagic fever countermeasures.

The primates of the Western Palaearctic: a biogeographical, historical, and archaeozoological review.

The Western Palaearctic is traditionally regarded as a zoogeographical unit which is lacking in primatological fauna. The representatives of this taxonomic group which has been documented within its boundary can be referred to the genera Macaca, Papio, and Chlorocebus, and possibly also to Erythrocebus and Galago. The data for the present research were collected through a review of all previous knowledge of the primates of this biogeographical region, including their history, and through original sightings and direct observation of field signs. Surveys were carried out directly in North Africa, the peninsula of Gibraltar, and in the Sahara. Additional data on primate distribution were obtained through the examination and evaluation of the materials conserved in several museums. A historical and archaeological investigation was also carried out, appraising both archaeozoological fndings and prehistoric and ancient artistic production, in order to evaluate the importance of the monkeys of the Western Palaearctic in relation to local human activities and needs.

Cardiac mitochondrial compromise in 1-yr-old Erythrocebus patas monkeys perinatally-exposed to nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors.

Hearts from 1-yr-old Erythrocebus patas monkeys were examined after in utero and 6-wk-postbirth exposure to antiretroviral nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs). Protocols were modeled on those given to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1-infected pregnant women. NRTIs were administered daily to the dams for the last 20% or 50% of gestation, and to the infants for 6 wk after birth. Exposures included: no drug (n = 4); Zidovudine, 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine (AZT; n = 4); AZT/Lamivudine, (-)-beta-L-2', 3'-Dideoxy-3'-thiacytidine (Epivir, 3TC) (n = 4); AZT/Didanosine (Videx, ddI) (n = 4); and Stavudine (Zerit, d4T)/3TC (n = 4). Echocardiograms and clinical chemistry showed no drug-related changes, but the d4T/3TC-exposed fetuses at 6 and 12 mo had increased white cell counts (p < 0.05). At 1 yr of age, oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) enzyme activities were similar in heart mitochondria from all groups. Mitochondrial pathology, that included clones of damaged mitochondria (p < 0.05), was found in hearts of all 1-yr drug-exposed infants. Levels of mtDNA were elevated (p < 0.05) in hearts of all NRTI-exposed monkeys in the following order: control < d4T/3TC < AZT < AZT/3TC < AZT/ddI. The clinical status of NRTI-exposed infants, as evidenced by behavior, clinical chemistry, OXPHOS activity and echocardiogram, was normal. However, extensive mitochondrial damage with clusters of similar-appearing damaged heart mitochondria observed by electron microscopy, and an increase in mtDNA quantity, that persisted at 1 yr of age, suggest the potential for cardiotoxicity later in life.

Influences of limb proportions and body size on locomotor kinematics in terrestrial primates and fossil hominins.

During locomotion, mammalian limb postures are influenced by many factors including the animal's limb length and body mass. Polk (2002) compared the gait of similar-sized cercopithecine monkeys that differed limb proportions and found that longer-limbed monkeys usually adopt more extended joint postures than shorter-limbed monkeys in order to moderate their joint moments. Studies of primates as well as non-primate mammals that vary in body mass have demonstrated that larger animals use more extended limb postures than smaller animals. Such extended postures in larger animals increase the extensor muscle mechanical advantage and allow postures to be maintained with relatively less muscular effort (Polk, 2002; Biewener 1989). The results of these previous studies are used here to address two anthropological questions. The first concerns the postural effects of body mass and limb proportion differences between australopithecines and members of the genus Homo. That is, H. erectus and later hominins all have larger body mass and longer legs than australopithecines, and these anatomical differences suggest that Homo probably used more extended postures and probably required relatively less muscular force to resist gravity than the smaller and shorter-limbed australopithecines. The second question investigates how animals with similar size but different limb proportions differ in locomotor performance. The effects of limb proportions on gait are relevant to inferring postural and locomotor differences between Neanderthals and modern Homo sapiens which differ in their crural indices and relative limb length. This study demonstrates that primates with relatively long limbs achieve higher walking speeds while using lower stride frequencies and lower angular excursions than shorter-limbed monkeys, and these kinematic differences may allow longer-limbed taxa to locomote more efficiently than shorter-limbed species of similar mass. Such differences may also have characterized the gait of Homo sapiens in comparison to Neanderthals, but more experimental data on humans that vary in limb proportions are necessary in order to evaluate this question more thoroughly.

Adaptive and phylogenetic influences on musculoskeletal design in cercopithecine primates.

Broad allometric studies of the musculoskeletal system have frequently sought to explain how locomotor variables have been influenced by body mass. To examine animals that vary widely in body mass, these studies have included taxa that differ in their locomotor adaptations and phylogenetic relatedness. Because these sources of diversity could obscure the effects of body mass, this study was designed to test the effects of adaptive differences in limb proportions and phylogeny, as well as body mass, on locomotor kinematics and extensor muscle mechanical advantage. More specifically, two hypotheses were tested in a sample of closely related animals: (i) that, among animals with similar body mass, those with longer limb segments should adopt more extended limb postures to moderate the joint and midshaft bending moments that they experience, and (ii) that body mass will have similar influences on joint posture and joint moments in closely related and diverse mammalian samples. Three-dimensional kinematic and synchronous force-platform data were collected for six individual cercopithecine monkeys ranging in mass from 4kg to 24kg and at a range of walking speeds. Comparisons among three monkeys with similar body mass but different limb segment lengths reveal a significant effect of limb proportion on posture. That is, animals with longer limbs frequently use more extended limb postures and can have correspondingly lower joint moments. The scaling of locomotor variables across the entire sample of closely related monkeys was generally similar to published results for a diverse sample of mammals, with larger monkeys having more extended limb postures, lower joint moments and greater effective mechanical advantage (EMA) for their limb extensor musculature. Ankle EMA, however, did not increase with body mass in the primate sample, suggesting that clade-specific adaptive differences (e.g. the use of arboreal supports by primates) may constrain the effects of body mass.

DNA adducts of 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline (IQ) in fetal tissues of patas monkeys after transplacental exposure.

Transplacental genotoxicity of the heterocyclic amine food-derived mutagen/carcinogen 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline (IQ) has been investigated by (32)P-postlabeling assay for IQ-DNA adducts in maternal liver, placenta, and several fetal tissues of patas monkeys, after exposure to 15, 35, or 50 mg/kg IQ near the end of gestation or to the highest dose in the first or second trimester. Dose-dependent adduct formation occurred in all tissues, with the highest levels occurring in maternal liver. Adduct amounts were similar among fetal tissues and placenta, except for lower levels in fetal brain and slightly more adducts in fetal liver. Adducts in placenta, fetal liver, lung, kidney, skin, and adrenal gland, but not in maternal liver or fetal brain, increased significantly as gestation progressed. Pretreatment with phenobarbital, which induces CYP enzymes that detoxify IQ, decreased adducts in maternal liver and possibly placenta, but not in fetal tissues. The CYP inducer beta-naphthoflavone caused a significant increase in IQ-DNA adducts in fetal lungs. Regression analysis suggested that IQ activation in maternal and fetal liver and possibly placenta contributed to adduct formation in fetal tissues; adducts in placenta and/or fetal liver were strong predictors for those in most fetal tissues. The results indicate that exposure of pregnant primates to IQ results in DNA adduct formation in most fetal tissues, especially late in gestation; that upregulation of maternal detoxification does not provide fetal protection; and that adducts in placenta indicate adduct levels in fetal tissues.

Comparison of the polymorphic regions of the cytochrome P450 CYP2E1 gene of humans and patas and cynomolgus monkeys.

Cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) metabolizes low molecular weight toxicants. CYP2E1 gene polymorphisms have been linked to risk of various cancers and liver disease in humans. Since the patas monkey is a promising model for study of cancer-related alcohol/nitrosamine interactions, we examined CYP2E1 in this monkey for characteristics of two regions that are polymorphic in humans, an RsaI site in the 5' promoter region and a DraI site in intron 6. Another monkey species often used in biomedical research, the cynomolgus monkey, was also examined. Human DNA primers used to amplify a 413 bp segment around the RsaI site also amplified a segment of similar size (409 bp) from DNA of 25 patas monkeys, whereas a product of approximately 800 bp was amplified from DNA of eight cynomolgus monkeys. RsaI did not cut the amplified DNA product from either monkey species. Sequencing revealed that the patas RsaI site was identical to that in humans with the c2c2 CYP2E1 genotype, GTAT. The equivalent cynomolgus sequence, CTAC, has not been observed in humans. Thus, the patas monkey appears to be a useful model for CYP2E1 c2c2 humans, and this genotype, present in 2-25% of humans, may be more primitive than c1c1. For the DraI site, the human primers amplified DNA products similar in size to those from humans, from all patas and cynomolgus monkey DNA samples; none were cut by DraI. Thus, both monkey species appeared to be generally similar to humans of CYP2E1 CC DraI genotype, which is the rarer form of the gene.

Comparing measures of travel distances in primates: methodological considerations and socioecological implications.

Travel costs can influence numerous aspects of the lives of primates, including net energy balance (and therefore reproductive success of females) and maximum group size. Despite their potential impact, there has been no systematic comparison of different measures of travel distance. We compared three measures of travel distance in 30 min (actual distance of individuals, straight-line distance of individuals, and straight-line distance of groups) and their ratios in a small group and a large group of vervet monkeys (Cercopithecus aethiops) and between the large group of vervets and a group of patas monkeys (Erythrocebus patas) of roughly similar size. The large group of vervets traveled farther than the small group regardless of the measure used, but the ratios of the different measures were not significantly different between those groups. Patas monkeys traveled significantly farther than the large group of vervets regardless of the measure used. In both vervets and patas, straight-line distances of individuals (ISLD) and groups (GSLD) underestimated actual distances traveled by individuals (IAD), but the degree to which they did so differed between species. IAD is more accurate than the other two measures and is preferred for studies of energetics and individual reproductive success, although ISLD or GSLD may be substituted when the ratios of IAD/ISLD or IAD/GSLD do not differ between groups or species. The ratio of IAD/ISLD was larger in vervets than in patas, suggesting that individual vervets meander more over short periods of time than patas. The ratio of ISLD/GSLD was larger in patas than in vervets, suggesting that patas move at angles or across the group's center-of-mass whereas vervets move more consistently along with others in their group. This has implications for the formation of spatial subgroups and alliances within groups.

The lacrimal fossa of cercopithecoidea, with special reference to cladistic analysis of Old World monkey relationships.

Re-examination of lacrimal fossa patterns in extant cercopithecoids indicates that the last common ancestor of Cercopithecini and Papionini, and hence of Cercopithecinae, probably retained a maxillary contribution to the lacrimal fossa, as did the common ancestor of Colobinae. Consequently, the presence of a maxilla-lacrimal fossa cannot be used to assess the subfamily affinity of Old World monkeys. In addition to being correlated with general facial lengthening, the derived, exclusively lacrimal pattern of Erythrocebus, Mandrillus, Papio, Theropithecus and some (but not all) guenons, macaques and mangabeys may be associated with extreme narrowing of the interorbital septum. Moreover, the derived condition may have evolved in response to independent exploitation of open country habitats as it enhances protection of the lacrimal sac and serves to reduce eye infection in terrestrial species.

PCR amplification of large genomic fragments from human and simian immunodeficiency virus infected cell lines.

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been used to amplify the large fragments from viral genomic DNA of SIV from wild caught, asymptomatic Erythrocebus monkeys from Western Africa (Senegal) and also from HIV-2 infected cell lines. By using consensus primer sequences from highly conserved stretches of gag, pol and env genes, two halves of the viral genome of HIV-2 and SIV (isolated from west African Erythrocebus monkeys) have amplified by PCR. One half spans 5200 bp from within the U3 region of the 5' long terminal repeat (LTR) into pol gene and an overlapping fragment spans 3700 bp from the pol gene into U5 region of 3' LTR. Also fragments ranging from 1-2.3 kb from gag pol and env genes have been successfully amplified. Our data demonstrate that primers used to amplify large segments from viral DNA yield better results if they are derived from a consensus sequence of a highly conserved stretch of the viral genome.