Diverse integrated ecosystem approach overcomes pandemic-related fisheries monitoring challenges.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused unprecedented cancellations of fisheries and ecosystem-assessment surveys, resulting in a recession of observations needed for management and conservation globally. This unavoidable reduction of survey data poses challenges for informing biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, developing future stock assessments of harvested species, and providing strategic advice for ecosystem-based management. We present a diversified framework involving integration of monitoring data with empirical models and simulations to inform ecosystem status within the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem. We augment trawl observations collected from a limited fisheries survey with survey effort reduction simulations, use of seabird diets as indicators of fish abundance, and krill species distribution modeling trained on past observations. This diversified approach allows for evaluation of ecosystem status during data-poor situations, especially during the COVID-19 era. The challenges to ecosystem monitoring imposed by the pandemic may be overcome by preparing for unexpected effort reduction, linking disparate ecosystem indicators, and applying new species modeling techniques.

Reproductive hyperallometry and managing the world's fisheries.

Marine fisheries are an essential component of global food security, but many are close to their limits and some are overfished. The models that guide the management of these fisheries almost always assume reproduction is proportional to mass (isometry), when fecundity generally increases disproportionately to mass (hyperallometry). Judged against several management reference points, we show that assuming isometry overestimates the replenishment potential of exploited fish stocks by 22% (range: 2% to 78%) for 32 of the world's largest fisheries, risking systematic overharvesting. We calculate that target catches based on assumptions of isometry are more than double those based on assumptions of hyperallometry for most species, such that common reference points are set twice as high as they should be to maintain the target level of replenishment. We also show that hyperallometric reproduction provides opportunities for increasing the efficacy of tools that are underused in standard fisheries management, such as protected areas or harvest slot limits. Adopting management strategies that conserve large, hyperfecund fish may, in some instances, result in higher yields relative to traditional approaches. We recommend that future assessment of reference points and quotas include reproductive hyperallometry unless there is clear evidence that it does not occur in that species.

Spatiotemporal patterns of variability in the abundance and distribution of winter-spawned pelagic juvenile rockfish in the California Current.

Rockfish are an important component of West Coast fisheries and California Current food webs, and recruitment (cohort strength) for rockfish populations has long been characterized as highly variable for most studied populations. Research efforts and fisheries surveys have long sought to provide greater insights on both the environmental drivers, and the fisheries and ecosystem consequences, of this variability. Here, variability in the temporal and spatial abundance and distribution patterns of young-of-the-year (YOY) rockfishes are described based on midwater trawl surveys conducted throughout the coastal waters of California Current between 2001 and 2019. Results confirm that the abundance of winter-spawning rockfish taxa in particular is highly variable over space and time. Although there is considerable spatial coherence in these relative abundance patterns, there are many years in which abundance patterns are very heterogeneous over the scale of the California Current. Results also confirm that the high abundance levels of YOY rockfish observed during the 2014-2016 large marine heatwave were largely coastwide events. Species association patterns of pelagic YOY for over 20 rockfish taxa in space and time are also described. The overall results will help inform future fisheries-independent surveys, and will improve future indices of recruitment strength used to inform stock assessment models and marine ecosystem status reports.

Phylogenetic analysis of Histoplasma capsulatum var duboisii in baboons from archived formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded tissues.

Histoplasma capsulatum var. duboisii (Hcd) infections have been well documented to cause chronic granulomatous disease, mainly involving the skin of baboons and humans in African countries primarily. This retrospective study classified the subspecies of Histoplasma and developed a phylogenetic tree utilizing DNA sequences extracted from formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded (FFPE) tissues from 9 baboons from a research colony in Texas histologically diagnosed with Hcd. Based on sequence analysis of ITS-2, Tub-1, and ARF, Hcd isolated from the archived samples closely aligns with the African clade and has 88% sequence homology with a sample isolated from an individual in Senegal.

Parturition in baboons (PAPIO SPP.).

The Old World non-human primates (NHP) - baboons (Papio spp.) share similarities with humans regarding fetal and placental development and some pregnancy-related complications. Information about the mechanism of birth and complications arising during parturition in these species is relatively sparse. In this manuscript, we add information from a series of pathological and observational cases to highlight insights and selected complications of birth in Papio spp, based on video-recording of the delivery process, X-ray, MRI, and ultrasound evaluations in pregnant baboons. Additionally, we abstracted pathology records obtained from perinatal loss in a large baboon colony during a 17 year period. The presented cases provide important information for the management of pregnancy and delivery in Papio spp.

Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors in twelve baboons (Papio spp.).

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs) are rare in nonhuman primates and in humans. METHODS: Twenty-one PNETs from twelve female baboons (Papio spp.) from the Southwest National Primate Research Center were evaluated using histopathology and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Histologically, all tumors were benign and had neuroendocrine packeting. Immunohistochemical staining for synaptophysin and chromogranin was positive in all tumors evaluated (17/17). Insulin was positive in 16 of 21 tumors. Somatostatin was positive in 9 of 20 tumors. Multifocal staining for glucagon and pancreatic polypeptide was evident in a minority of tumors (6/20 and 2/17, respectively). Gastrin and vasoactive intestinal peptide were negative in all tumors evaluated. Nine tumors expressed more than one hormone marker. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first detailed pathologic study of pancreatic endocrine tumors in the baboon. The findings suggest that these tumors are generally benign and have similar morphologic and immunohistochemical features as those described in people, including the ability to express multiple hormones.

Spontaneous Reproductive Tract Lesions in Aged Captive Chimpanzees.

Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) have served as an important model for studies of reproductive diseases and aging-related disorders in humans. However, limited information is available about spontaneously occurring reproductive tract lesions in aging chimpanzees. In this article, the authors present histopathologic descriptions of lesions identified in the reproductive tract, including the mammary gland, of 33 female and 34 male aged chimpanzees from 3 captive populations. The most common findings in female chimpanzees were ovarian atrophy, uterine leiomyoma, adenomyosis, and endometrial atrophy. The most common findings in male chimpanzees were seminiferous tubule degeneration and lymphocytic infiltrates in the prostate gland. Other less common lesions included an ovarian granulosa cell tumor, cystic endometrial hyperplasia, an endometrial polyp, uterine artery hypertrophy and mineralization, atrophic vaginitis, mammary gland inflammation, prostatic epithelial hyperplasia, dilated seminal vesicles, a sperm granuloma, and lymphocytic infiltrates in the epididymis. The findings in this study closely mimic changes described in the reproductive tract of aged humans, with the exception of a lack of malignant changes observed in the mammary gland and prostate gland.

Reovirus-associated meningoencephalomyelitis in baboons.

Baboon orthoreovirus (BRV) is associated with meningoencephalomyelitis (MEM) among captive baboons. Sporadic cases of suspected BRV-induced MEM have been observed at Southwest National Primate Research Center (SNPRC) for the past 20 years but could not be confirmed due to lack of diagnostic assays. An immunohistochemistry (IHC)-based assay using an antibody against BRV fusion-associated small transmembrane protein p15 and a conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based assay using primers specific for BRV were developed to detect BRV in archived tissues. Sixty-eight cases of suspected BRV-induced MEM from 1989 through 2010 were tested for BRV, alphavirus, and flavivirus by IHC. Fifty-nine of 68 cases (87%) were positive for BRV by immunohistochemistry; 1 tested positive for flavivirus (but was negative for West Nile virus and St Louis encephalitis virus by real-time PCR), and 1 virus isolation (VI) positive control tested negative for BRV. Sixteen cases (9 BRV-negative and 7 BRV-positive cases, by IHC), along with VI-positive and VI-negative controls, were tested by PCR for BRV. Three (of 9) IHC-negative cases tested positive, and 3 (of 7) IHC-positive cases tested negative by PCR for BRV. Both IHC and PCR assays tested 1 VI-positive control as negative (sensitivity: 75%). This study shows that most cases of viral MEM among baboons at SNPRC are associated with BRV infection, and the BRV should be considered a differential diagnosis for nonsuppurative MEM in baboons.

Meeting report: Emerging respiratory viral infections and nonhuman primate case reports.

A workshop on Emerging Respiratory Viral Infections and Spontaneous Diseases in nonhuman primates was sponsored by the concurrent Annual Meetings of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists and the American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology, held December 1-5, 2012, in Seattle, Washington. The session had platform presentations from Drs Karen Terio, Thijs Kuiken, Guy Boivin, and Robert Palermo that focused on naturally occurring influenza, human respiratory syncytial virus, and metapneumovirus in wild and zoo-housed great apes; the molecular biology and pathology of these viral respiratory diseases in nonhuman primate (NHP) models; and the therapeutic and vaccine approaches to prevention and control of these emerging respiratory viral infections. These formal presentations were followed by presentations of 14 unique case studies of rare or newly observed spontaneous lesions in NHPs (see online files for access to digital whole-slide images corresponding to each case report at http://scanscope.com/ACVP%20Slide%20Seminars/2012/Primate%20Pathology/view.apml). The session was attended by meeting participants that included students, pathology trainees, and experienced pathologists from academia and industry with an interest in respiratory and spontaneous diseases of NHPs.

Pleuro-pulmonary endometriosis in baboons (Papio spp.): insights into pathogenesis.

BACKGROUND: Human pleuro-pulmonary endometriosis (PPE) is rare. Recently, we identified several cases of abdominal endometriosis in baboons that developed PPE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten cases of PPE and four of intra-abdominal endometriosis (three simultaneous) were identified at necropsy in baboons (Papio spp.) found dead due to natural causes. The endometriotic lesions were evaluated using immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: The stromal (CD10+) and epithelial cells in intra-abdominal cases were estrogen and progesterone receptor (ER/PR) positive and thyroid transcription factor 1 (TTF-1) negative similar to that seen in humans. In contrast, the PPE cases displayed TTF-1-positive epithelium lining the cystic spaces, while the stroma was ER/PR positive similar to that in abdominal endometriosis. Both lymph nodes and spindle cell rests in lung interstitium contained ER/PR-positive stromal cells. CONCLUSIONS: The lung lesions were different from the abdominal lesions in having a TTF-1-positive lining epithelium. The deep pulmonary interstitial and lymph node endometrial stromal rests probably arrive via lymphatic route. The endometrial stroma is the driving force in PPE upon which the lung-specific epithelium condenses and may require a novel approach to therapy.

Abruptio placentae in the baboon (Papio spp.).

INTRODUCTION: Placental abruption is a serious condition that increases perinatal morbidity and mortality. Clinical prevention and treatment options are limited, especially in human preterm deliveries. Knowledge of the mechanisms that keep the placenta in place during pregnancy is critical for developing strategies for the prevention of abruption. Failure of physiological transformation of spiral arteries has been described as a major contributing factor of the placental abruption development. Baboons (Papio spp.) share striking similarities with humans in regard to placental structure, utero-placental blood flow, and fetal development; however, the mode of trophoblast invasion is shallow in baboons. This fact prompted the hypothesis that the incidence of placental abruption will be increased in baboons compared to humans. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Baboon placentas were collected between 2002 and 2008. Two independent veterinary pathologists evaluated the slides. A certified physician pathologist performed additional histology. RESULTS: Placental abruption was diagnosed in 22 baboons among 2423 live births during the study period (0.9% prevalence). The most common clinical presentations were fetal demise and vaginal bleeding. The most common pathological findings were intraplacental hemorrhages with or without hematoma formation (86.4%). Other findings consisted of neutrophil infiltration (50%), decidual necrosis (22.7%), decidual vascular congestion and inflammation, villous congestion and retroplacental hemorrhage/hematoma (each 18.2%). These pathologic findings were the same for term and preterm deliveries. CONCLUSION: This is the first systematic study of placental abruption in non-human primates, analyzing a large colony of baboons. Despite differences in trophoblast invasion, the clinical features observed in placental abruption affecting baboons resembled those reported in humans. The cluster of placental pathological findings in baboons also agreed with clinical reports, but the prevalence of these findings differed between baboons and humans. We discuss a mechanism of anti-abruption forces that offset shallow trophoblast invasion observed in baboons.

Sclerosing cholangitis in baboons (Papio spp) resembling primary sclerosing cholangitis of humans.

Primary sclerosing cholangitis is a chronic and progressive cholestatic liver disease that has been extensively documented in the human literature. Although it shares many features in common with chronic lymphocytic cholangitis in cats, primary sclerosing cholangitis has never been reported in a nonhuman primate. Primary sclerosing cholangitis is characterized by the presence of intrahepatic and/or extrahepatic inflammation and concentric fibrosis of bile ducts, eventually leading to cirrhosis and hepatic failure. The pathogenesis and cause remain unknown, but the disease likely involves a multifactorial mechanism with genetic- and immune-mediated components. The authors report 2 cases that histologically resemble the condition in humans; they consist of 2 adult male baboons with a clinical history of chronic elevated liver enzymes. In both cases, the liver was histologically characterized by thick bands of fibrosis and mild lymphoplasmacytic periportal cholangiohepatitis with concentric periductal fibrosis, resulting in atrophy and loss of bile ducts. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed positivity of hepatocytes to cytokeratin 7. Masson stain demonstrated marked biliary fibrosis. This is the first report that resembles sclerosing cholangitis in a nonhuman primate, and it suggests that the baboon may provide a useful animal model for this condition in humans.

The morphometry of materno-fetal oxygen exchange barrier in a baboon model of obesity.

INTRODUCTION: More than one-fourth of U.S. women are overweight; more than one-third are obese. Maternal obesity has been linked to an increased incidence of stillbirths, fetal macrosomia, fetal intrauterine growth restriction and pre-eclampsia. The placenta plays a key role in the nutrients and oxygen supply to the fetus. The data about structural changes in the placental villous membrane (VM), a major component of the feto-maternal nutrient and oxygen exchange barrier, during obesity are sparse and inconsistent. Our objective was to evaluate the morphometric changes in the placental exchange barrier in a baboon model of obesity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The previously described baboon model of maternal obesity was studied. We compared 4 obese to 4 non-obese baboons. Placental stereology with the use of transmission electron microscopy was performed to estimate VM oxygen diffusing capacities and morphometry. RESULTS: The specific placental oxygen diffusing capacities per unit of fetal weight were similar in baboons and humans. Maternal leptin concentrations correlated negatively with placental basement membrane thickness (r = -0.78, p < 0.05), while fetal leptin levels correlated negatively with endothelial thickness of fetal capillaries (r = -0.78, p < 0.05). The total and specific villous membrane oxygen diffusing capacities were not different between the two groups. CONCLUSION: To the best of our knowledge this is the first report of placental oxygen diffusing capacities and placental ultrastructural changes in a baboon model of obesity. Previously reported placental inflammation in maternal obesity is not associated with changes in the VM diffusing capacities and ultrastructure.

Intracranial meningioma in a baboon (Papio spp.).

Meningioma is the most common intracranial non-glial tumour of cats, dogs and man. Few spontaneously arising brain tumours have been reported in non-human primates. This report describes a meningioma in a captive baboon. Clinical signs exhibited by the animal included head pressing, visual impairment and vestibular disease. The tumour arose from the ventral aspect of the cranial cavity and compressed the overlying left side of the cerebellum and brainstem. Microscopically, the mass was characterized by pleomorphic spindle-shaped to polygonal cells arranged in sheaths, vague whorls and occasional papillary structures on vascular cores. Nuclear cytoplasmic invagination, syncytial-like cells and areas of mineralization were also evident. Immunohistochemically, the neoplastic cells expressed vimentin and S-100 protein, but not pancytokeratin, glial fibrillary acidic protein or epithelial membrane antigen. The features of this tumour are similar to those of meningiomas in other species.

Spontaneous gallbladder pathology in baboons.

BACKGROUND: Gallbladder pathology (GBP) is a relatively uncommon, naturally occurring morbidity in both baboons and humans. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on 7776 necropsy reports over a 20 year period to determine the prevalence of baboon GBP. RESULTS: Ninety-seven cases of GBP were identified, yielding a 20 year population prevalence of 1.25%. GBP is more common in adult female baboons, occurring with a female to male ratio of nearly 2:1. Among gallbladder pathologies, cholecystitis (35.1%) and cholelithiasis (29.9%) were the most prevalent abnormalities, followed by hyperplasia (16.5%), edema (15.5%), amyloidosis (5.2%), fibrosis (4.1%), necrosis (4.1%), and hemorrhage (1.0%). CONCLUSION: Many epidemiologic similarities exist between GBP in baboons and humans suggesting that the baboon may serve as a reliable animal model system for investigating GBP in humans.

Further studies on the frequency and length of the glandulo-metaplastic esophageal mucosa in baboons.

BACKGROUND: In previous studies, the length of the glandulo-metaplastic esophageal mucosa (GMEM) at the gastroesophageal junction was assessed in a selected group of baboons. In this study, the length of the GMEM was measured in the entire esophagus in a cohort of unselected adult baboons. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In 15 female baboons, the entire esophagus was removed en bloc at autopsy, from the tongue to the angle of His. No part of the stomach was included. The length of GMEM was measured using a calibrated ocular microscale. RESULTS: GMEM was found in 11 out of the 15 esophagi. The total length of GMEM recorded in the 11 cases was 115 mm (mean 10.5 mm, range 1-45 mm). The mean age for animals with GMEM was 15.5 years (range 7-32 years) and for animals without GMEM was 14.0 years (range 7-20 years); the difference was non-significant (p<0.6). No significant association was found between the length of the GMEM and the age of the animals (p<0.6). CONCLUSION: This study substantiates the notion that GMEM in baboons is a postnatal physiological adaptative process of the esophageal mucosa to daily regurgitation with rumination of gastric juices of low pH. The GMEM apparently progresses upwards, along the esophageal mucosa. The baboon might be an excellent animal model to study the series of histological events that take place in the distal esophagus under the influence of protracted gastroesophageal reflux.

Evaluation of four hematology and a chemistry portable benchtop analyzers using non-human primate blood.

BACKGROUND: Near patient testing (NPT) and point-of-care testing (POCT) using portable benchtop analyzers has become necessary in many areas of the medical community, including biocontainment. METHODS: We evaluated the Beckman AcT diff, Abaxis Vetscan HMII (two instruments), Abbott Cell-Dyn 1800, and Abaxis Vetscan VS2 for within-run precision and correlation to central laboratory instruments using non-human primates blood. RESULTS: Compared with the central laboratory instruments, the Beckman AcT diff correlated on 80%; the HMII instruments on 31% and 44%, the CD1800 on 31%, and the VS2 on 71% of assays. For assays with published manufacturers precision guidelines, the AcT diff met all nine, the HMII instruments met one and six of six, and the CD 1800 met one of six. CONCLUSIONS: Laboratories using NPT/POCT must test their individual instruments for precision and correlation, identify assays that are reliable, and exclude or develop supplemental procedures for assays that are not.

Spontaneous pathology of the baboon endocrine system.

BACKGROUND: Study of endocrine pathology in animal models is critical to understanding endocrine pathology in humans. METHODS: We evaluated 434 endocrine-related diagnoses from 4619 baboon necropsies, established the incidence of spontaneous endocrine pathology, and analyzed the clinical and biochemical data associated with the individual cases. RESULTS: The most common diagnoses in descending order, were pancreatic islet cell amyloidosis (n = 259), ovarian cysts (n = 50), pituitary adenoma (n = 37), pancreatic islet cell adenoma (n = 20), granulosa cell tumor (n = 15), thyroid adenoma (n = 11), adrenal hyperplasia (n = 10), thyroid carcinoma (n = 8), and pheochromocytoma (n = 6). The incidence of pancreatic islet cell amyloidosis progressively increased with age. Pheochromocytomas were associated with renal and heart failure. The incidence of pancreatic islet cell amyloidosis and adrenal pathology was similar to humans; the incidence of pituitary adenoma and thyroid pathology was lower than in humans. CONCLUSIONS: Endocrine disease in baboons is common and shares clinical and biochemical characteristics with endocrine disease in humans.

Feto-placental adaptations to maternal obesity in the baboon.

Maternal obesity is present in 20-34% of pregnant women and has been associated with both intrauterine growth restriction and large-for-gestational age fetuses. While fetal and placental functions have been extensively studied in the baboon, no data are available on the effect of maternal obesity on placental structure and function in this species. We hypothesize that maternal obesity in the baboon is associated with a maternal inflammatory state and induces structural and functional changes in the placenta. The major findings of this study were: 1) decreased placental syncytiotrophoblast amplification factor, intact syncytiotrophoblast endoplasmic reticulum structure and decreased system A placental amino acid transport in obese animals; 2) fetal serum amino acid composition and mononuclear cells (PBMC) transcriptome were different in fetuses from obese compared with non-obese animals; and 3) maternal obesity in humans and baboons is similar in regard to increased placental and adipose tissue macrophage infiltration, increased CD14 expression in maternal PBMC and maternal hyperleptinemia. In summary, these data demonstrate that in obese baboons in the absence of increased fetal weight, placental and fetal phenotype are consistent with those described for large-for-gestational age human fetuses.

Neoplasia in the chimpanzee (Pan spp.).

BACKGROUND: Chimpanzees have over 98% genomic sequence homology with humans and may have a similar host response to malignancy. There is minimal information concerning cancer in the chimpanzee and such information would be valuable to individuals caring for and using them for research. METHODS: Spontaneous neoplasia that was documented in two chimpanzee colonies and in the literature were evaluated statistically. RESULTS: In all, 105 spontaneous and 12 experimental neoplasms were diagnosed. Seventy-four spontaneous tumors occurred in females, 24 in males,and seven in animals of undetermined sex. Of the spontaneous tumors 89 were benign, 14 were malignant, and two were undetermined. Neoplasia was most common in the urogenital system in females. CONCLUSIONS: Neoplasia is not uncommon in the chimpanzee, is generally benign, and occurs primarily in the urogenital system in females.