Current practices in nutrition management and disease incidence of common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus).

BACKGROUND: A survey was developed to characterize disease incidence, common pathology lesions, environmental characteristics, and nutrition programs within captive research marmoset colonies. METHODS: Seventeen research facilities completed the electronic survey. RESULTS: Nutritional management programs varied amongst research institutions housing marmosets; eight primary base diets were reported. The most common clinical syndromes reported were gastrointestinal disease (i.e. inflammatory bowel disease like disease, chronic lymphocytic enteritis, chronic malabsorption, chronic diarrhea), metabolic bone disease or fracture, infectious diarrhea, and oral disease (tooth root abscesses, gingivitis, tooth root resorption). The five most common pathology morphologic diagnoses were colitis, nephropathy/nephritis, enteritis, chronic lymphoplasmacytic enteritis, and cholecystitis. Obesity was more common (average 20% of a reporting institution's population) than thin body condition (average 5%). CONCLUSIONS: Through review of current practices, we aim to inspire development of evidence-based practices to standardize husbandry and nutrition practices for marmoset research colonies.

Cutaneous and Pulmonary Mucormycosis in Rag1- and Il2rg-deficient Rats.

Immunodeficient rats are valuable in transplantation studies, but are vulnerable to infection from opportunistic organisms such as fungi. Immunodeficient Rag1- and Il2rg-deficient (RRG) rats housed at our institution presented with dark, proliferative, keratinized dermal growths. Histologic and PCR results indicated that the predominant organism associated with these lesions was fungus from the family Mucoraceae, mostly of the genus Rhizopus. The Mucoraceae family of fungi are environmental saprophytes and are often found in rodent bedding. These fungi can cause invasive opportunistic infections in immunosuppressed humans and animals. We discuss husbandry practices for immunosuppressed rodents with a focus on controlling fungal contaminants.

Umbilical cord hypercoiling in two rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta).

Obstruction of umbilical blood flow is a common cause of death in fetal nonhuman primates, but cord accidents have not been reported in the macaque. We describe two cases of cord accident in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) resulting in fetal death at approximately 110 and 50 days of gestation, respectively.

Transverse myelitis following measles vaccination in a rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta).

A 16-year-old rhesus macaque presented with progressive, ascending quadriparesis following measles vaccination. He was diagnosed with transverse myelitis following MRI, gross necropsy, and histopathology. This is the first report of transverse myelitis in a rhesus macaque following measles vaccination.

Concentration-dependent Toxicity after Subcutaneous Administration of Meloxicam to C57BL/6N Mice (Mus musculus).

Studies using the Mouse Grimace Scale have shown that for many NSAID, including meloxicam, minimal doses of at least 20 mg/kg may be necessary to achieve adequate peri- and post-operative analgesia in mice. However, more data are needed to determine whether such NSAID doses exceed the threshold for gastrointestinal ulceration or induce other relevant pathology. We administered equal volumes of saline or injectable meloxicam (1 or 5 mg/mL) at a dose of 20 mg/kg SC to 20 young adult male and female C57BL/6N mice daily for 6 d and performed necropsies on all mice on the seventh day. Mice given 5 mg/mL meloxicam subcutaneously developed significantly more severe pathology at the injection site than saline controls. Pathology was characterized by full-thickness epidermal necrosis; cavitary lesions within subcutis, muscle, or fat; steatitis; and myositis. Mice that received 1 mg/mL meloxicam subcutaneously developed lesions that were qualitatively similar but far less severe than those after 5 mg/mL. However, no pathologic lesions typically associated with NSAID toxicity, such as gastric ulceration and liver and kidney lesions, were seen. These results demonstrate that although meloxicam injected subcutaneously causes concentration-dependent skin pathology at the injection site, a dose of 20 mg/kg can be safely administered subcutaneously at a concentration of 1 mg/mL for as long as 6 d.

Effects of combination birth control on estrous behavior in captive western lowland gorillas, Gorilla gorilla gorilla.

Combination birth control pills (CBC) are one of the most common birth control methods used for western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) housed in zoos. Since zoos are interested in maintaining as many natural behaviors as possible, it is important to know how contraception may affect social and sexual interactions among group members. Although some data are available regarding the influence of the pill on sexual behavior in human females, no data are available on its effects on gorilla estrous behavior. We examined temporal trends of estrous, aggressive, affiliative, and activity budget data in four females on CBC at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, IL. Behavioral data were collected using point sampling, all-occurrence records, and one-zero sampling. Estrous behavior occurred in less than 1% of observations. Using all-occurrence and one-zero sampling, estrous behavior occurred more frequently in week one of the cycle than any other week. The focal females exhibited affiliative, aggressive, and activity budget data evenly across their cycles. There were also no temporal trends in proximity to the silverback. Females varied by the types of estrous behavior they exhibited. We give a hormonal explanation for the prevalence of estrous behaviors in week one, and recommendations for effective behavioral sampling of gorilla estrous behavior.