Phylogenetic analyses of Chilomastix and Retortamonas species using in vitro excysted flagellates.

In vitro excystation of cysts of microscopically identified Chilomastix mesnili and Retortamonas sp. isolated from Japanese macaques and Retortamonas sp. isolated from small Indian mongooses could be induced using an established protocol for Giardia intestinalis and subsequently by culturing with H2S-rich Robinson's medium supplemented with Desulfovibrio desulfuricans. Excystation usually began 2 h after incubation in Robinson's medium. DNA was isolated from excysted flagellates after 4 h of incubation or from cultured excysted flagellates. Phylogenetic analysis based on their 18S rRNA genes revealed that two isolates of C. mesnili from Japanese macaques belonged to the same cluster as a C. mesnili isolate from humans, whereas a mammalian Retortamonas sp. isolate from a small Indian mongoose belonged to the same cluster as that of an amphibian Retortamonas spp. isolate from a 'poison arrow frog' [sequence identity to AF439347 (94.9%)]. These results suggest that the sequence homology of the 18S rRNA gene of the two C. mesnili isolates from Japanese macaques was similar to that of humans, in addition to the morphological similarity, and Retortamonas sp. infection of the amphibian type in the small Indian mongoose highlighted the possibility of the effect of host feeding habitats.

Comparative Gross Anatomy of the Forelimb Arteries of the Japanese Monkey (Macaca fuscata) and a Comparative Pattern of Forelimb Arterial Distribution in Primates.

Macaca fuscata displays characteristic behaviours, such as stone handling, locomotor behaviour, gait position, and intermittent bipedalism. Differences in characteristic behaviours among primate species/genera could be explained by anatomical details of the body. However, the anatomical details have not been well studied in Macaca fuscata. Arterial models could be one of the anatomical bases for the phylogenetic and functional differences among species, since the arterial supply could be associated with the muscular performance, especially locomotor behaviour. In this study, five thoracic limbs of Macaca fuscata adults were dissected to analyse the vessels. Patterns of arterial distribution in the thoracic limbs of Macaca fuscata were compared with those in other primates. The results indicated that the arterial distribution in the Japanese monkeys was more similar to those in Macaca mulatta and Papio anubis, which is consistent with phylogenetic similarities. However, compared with Papio anubis and other macaques, there were anatomical differences in several points, including (1) the origin of the common, anterior, posterior circumflex, and profunda brachii, and (2) the origins of the collateralis ulnaris artery. The comparative anatomy of the arteries in the forelimb of Macaca fuscata, along with the anatomical studies in other primates, indicated characteristic patterns of brachial artery division and the number of the palmar arches in primates, which is consistent with the phylogenetic division among New World primates, Old World primates, and apes.

Age-related changes in the cranial thickness of Japanese macaques ( Macaca fuscata ) / Cambios relacionados con la edad en el grosor craneal de los macacos japoneses ( Macaca fuscata )

Craniometry has revealed that continuous skull expansion occurs after dental maturity in macaques and other nonhuman primates. Endocranial volume has been shown to increase with age from mid-adulthood to older age in macaques. Thus, neurocranial thickness may decrease with age, especially from mid-adulthood to older age. Here, we investigated age-related changes in the cranial thickness of Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata). Ten cranial thickness measurements (ten neurocranial landmarks) were made using computed tomographic scans of 140 crania from adult macaques (67 males and 73 females). The cranial thickness at many sites was shown to increase in the neurocranium from young adulthood (7-9 years) to early-mid adulthood (14-19 years) in males and latemid adulthood (19-24 years) in females, while it was decreased in the oldest age group (>24 years). The cranial thickness at various sites showed a significant decrease from mid-adulthood to very old age in both sexes, although females had more sites with decreasing thickness than did males. The difference between sexes in terms of age-related changes in cranial thickness at sites on the mid-sagittal plane may be associated with the differences in the size of the projecting face and canines between males and females. The greater number of sites with decreasing thickness in females than in males may be associated with postmenopausal estrogen depletion in female macaques.

La craneometría ha revelado que la expansión continua del cráneo se produce después de la madurez dental en macacos y otros primates no humanos. Se ha demostrado que el volumen endocraneal aumenta con la edad desde mediados de la edad adulta hasta la edad más avanzada en macacos. Por lo tanto, el grosor neurocraneal puede disminuir con la edad, especialmente desde la edad adulta media hasta la edad avanzada. Aquí, investigamos los cambios relacionados con la edad en el grosor craneal de los macacos Japoneses (Macaca fuscata). Se realizaron diez mediciones del grosor craneal (considerando diez puntos de referencia neurocraneales) mediante tomografías computarizadas de 140 cráneos de macacos adultos (67 machos y 73 hembras). Se observó que el grosor craneal en muchos sitios aumentó en el neurocráneo desde la edad adulta joven (7-9 años) hasta la edad adulta media (14-19 años) en los hombres y en la edad adulta media tardía (19-24 años) en las mujeres, mientras que se redujo en el grupo de mayor edad (> 24 años). El grosor craneal en varios sitios mostró una disminución significativa desde la edad adulta media hasta la edad muy avanzada en ambos sexos, aunque las hembras tenían más sitios con grosor decreciente. La diferencia entre sexos, en términos de cambios relacionados con la edad, en el grosor craneal en los sitios en el plano mediano puede asociarse con las diferencias en el tamaño de la cara y en los caninos entre machos y hembras. El mayor número de sitios con grosor decreciente en las hembras respecto a los machos puede estar asociado con el agotamiento de los estrógenos posmenopáusicos en los macacos hembras.