Natural pathology of the captive chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes): A 35-year review.

We present the spontaneous pathological lesions identified as a result of necropsy or biopsy for 245 chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) over a 35-year period. A review of the pathology database was performed for all diagnoses on chimpanzees from 1980 to 2014. All morphologic diagnoses, associated system, organ, etiology, and demographic information were reviewed and analyzed. Cardiomyopathy was the most frequent lesion observed followed by hemosiderosis, hyperplasia, nematodiasis, edema, and hemorrhage. The most frequently affected systems were the gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, urogenital, respiratory, and lymphatic/hematopoietic systems. The most common etiology was undetermined, followed by degenerative, physiologic, neoplastic, parasitic, and bacterial. Perinatal and infant animals were mostly affected by physiologic etiologies and chimpanzee-induced trauma. Bacterial and physiologic etiologies were more common in juvenile animals. Degenerative and physiologic (and neoplastic in geriatric animals) etiologies predominated in adult, middle aged, and geriatric chimpanzees.

Alopecia in Outdoor Group- and Corral-Housed Baboons (Papio hamadryas spp.).

Alopecia has been reported to occur in several species of captive NHP. Much of this research has focused on macaque monkeys; whether other primate species such as baboons are affected similarly is unknown. Because alopecia can be a focus of inspectors and a possible marker of wellbeing, the purpose of the current study was to survey the occurrence of alopecia in 2 baboon populations and to identify potential risk factors. Subjects were 262 group-housed and 279 corral-housed baboons. Alopecia was assessed cage-side (group-housed) and on sedated animals (corral-housed). Although alopecia was mild in both populations, there were significant effects of season and sex. Alopecia was greater in the winter (group-housed) and the fall (corral-housed) and in female baboons. In addition, the group-housed baboons showed a significant negative effect of age and a lesser effect of group size on alopecia. These results demonstrate that variables other than those associated with animal management practices can affect hair loss in baboons.

Correlation between presence of Trypanosoma cruzi DNA in heart tissue of baboons and cynomolgus monkeys, and lymphocytic myocarditis.

Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas' disease, preferentially infects cardiac and digestive tissues. Baboons living in Texas (Papio hamadryas) and cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) have been reported to be infected naturally with T. cruzi. In this study, we retrospectively reviewed cases of animals that were diagnosed with lymphocytic myocarditis and used a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based method (S36/S35 primer set) to amplify T. cruzi DNA from archived frozen and formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) cardiac tissues. We show that the PCR method is applicable in archived frozen and FFPE tissues and the sensitivity is in the femtogram range. A positive correlation between PCR positivity and lymphocytic myocarditis in both baboons and cynomolgus monkeys is shown. We also show epicarditis as a common finding in animals infected with T. cruzi.

Mortality in captive baboons (Papio spp.): a-23-year study.

BACKGROUND: We report the causes of mortality for 4350 captive baboons that died or were euthanized due to natural causes during a 23 year period at the Southwest National Primate Research Center. METHODS: Necropsy records were retrieved and reviewed to determine a primary cause of death or indication for euthanasia. Data was evaluated for morphological diagnosis, organ system, and etiology. RESULTS: The 20 most common morphologic diagnoses accounted for 76% of the cases, including stillborn (10.8%); colitis (8.6%); hemorrhage (8.4%); ulcer (5.2%); seizures (4.7%); pneumonia (4.2%); inanition (4.1%); dermatitis (3.8%); spondylosis (3.3%); and amyloidosis (3.0%). The digestive system was most frequently involved (21.3%), followed by the urogenital (20.3%), cardiovascular (12.2%), and multisystem disease (10.3%). An etiology was not identified in approximately one-third of cases. The most common etiologies were trauma (14.8%), degenerative (9.5%), viral (8.7%), and neoplastic/proliferative (7.0%). CONCLUSION: This information should be useful for individuals working with baboons.

Abnormal behavior and associated risk factors in captive baboons (Papio hamadryas spp.).

Abnormal behavior, ranging from motor stereotypies to self-injurious behavior, has been documented in captive nonhuman primates, with risk factors including nursery rearing, single housing, and veterinary procedures. Much of this research has focused on macaque monkeys; less is known about the extent of and risk factors for abnormal behavior in baboons. Because abnormal behavior can be indicative of poor welfare, either past or present, the purpose of this study was to survey the presence of abnormal behavior in captive baboons and to identify potential risk factors for these behaviors with an aim of prevention. Subjects were 144 baboons (119 females, 25 males) aged 3-29 (median = 9.18) years temporarily singly housed for research or clinical reasons. A 15-min focal observation was conducted on each subject using the Noldus Observer® program. Abnormal behavior was observed in 26% of the subjects, with motor stereotypy (e.g., pace, rock, swing) being the most common. Motor stereotypy was negatively associated with age when first singly housed (P < 0.005) while self-directed behavior (e.g., hair pull, self-bite) was positively associated with the lifetime number of days singly housed (P < 0.05) and the average number of blood draws per year (P < 0.05). In addition, abnormal appetitive behavior was associated with being male (P < 0.05). Although the baboons in this study exhibited relatively low levels of abnormal behavior, the risk factors for these behaviors (e.g., social restriction, routine veterinary procedures, and sex) appear to remain consistent across primate species.

Endometrial and cervical polyps in 22 baboons (Papio sp.), 5 cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis) and one marmoset (Callithrix jacchus).

BACKGROUND: Endometrial and cervical polyps are masses of endometrium or cervical epithelium that bulge into the uterine or cervical lumen. The physiopathology and contributing factors of endometrial polyps development are still unknown. METHODS: Clinical and pathology records of 28 non-human primates with histologically confirmed endometrial and cervical polyps were reviewed. Twenty-one baboons with endometrial polyps were evaluated for age at diagnosis, body weight, menstrual cycle length, presence of endometriosis and adenomyosis and number of offspring, cesarean sections, and stillbirths. RESULTS: Endometrial polyps in baboons were associated with increased age, decreased menstrual cycle lengths, endometriosis, and decreased parity. No differences were found for weight, adenomyosis, or number of cesarean sections or stillbirths. CONCLUSIONS: Baboons are a promising model for the study of endometrial polyps because of their similarity to humans in both the development of endometrial polyps and association of many of the same risk factors.