Mother-infant cannibalism in thick-tailed bushbabies (Galago crassicaudatus umbrosus)

Mother-infant cannibalism in species of galagos as in several other species of non-human primates is a common phenomenon. In non-human primates kept in laboratory conditions many of the observed cases of cannibalism were not associated with starvation and with infanticide. Cannibalism in galagos was observed in at least five different species. In several laboratories, like the Duke University Primate Center, the frequencies of cannibalism in galagos species in captivity have been reduced by the isolation of pregnant female before the parturition from her companions, especially adult males. At the Primate Behaviour Research Group (University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa) three cases of cannibalism were observed in twoGalago crassicaudatus umbrosus' mothers before the end of the third day after birth. To understand the reasons why the mothers cannibalize their own infants, it was decided to analyze the mother-infant interaction which preceded the death of the infants. InGalago crassicaudatus twin and triplet births are very common. In one of our two observed mothers who cannibalized their infants, there was one triplet birth. In this study the two pregnant females were isolated in two separated cages ten days before giving birth. One of the two observed mothers gave birth to triplets, the other had a single birth. At the end all four infants were cannibalized. In all cases the cannibalization started after the infant's death. The infants' deaths were caused by lack of maternal care which caused them to starve. The results show that the triplet's mother differed in some of her behaviour towards her infants. In one of the cannibalized infants behaviours such asNipple andMother Passive Prevent were never seen before death. In our cases it seems that cannibalism was probably due to the laboratory condition that for generation to generation caused stress to the mothers and changed their maternal behaviours, which lead to the death of the offspring which after death became a consumable resource.     

Mothers' birth weight and survival of their offspring: population based study.

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that a baby''s survival is related to the mother''s birth weight. DESIGN: Population based dataset for two generations. SETTING: Population registry in Norway. SUBJECTS: All birth records for women born in Norway since 1967 were linked to births during 1981-94, thereby forming 105104 mother-offspring units. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Perinatal mortality specific for weight for offspring in groups of maternal birth weight (with 500 g categories in both). RESULTS: A mother''s birth weight was strongly associated with the weight of her baby. Maternal birth weight was associated with perinatal survival of her baby only for mothers with birth weights under 2000 g. These mothers were more likely to lose a baby in the perinatal period (odds ratio 2.3, 95% confidence interval 1.4 to 3.7). Among mothers with a birth weight over 2000 g there was no overall association between mother''s weight and infant survival. There was, however, a strong interaction between mother''s birth weight, infant birth weight, and infant survival. Mortality among small babies was much higher for those whose mothers had been large at birth. For example, babies weighing 2500-2999 g had a threefold higher mortality if their mother''s birth weight had been high (> or = 4000 g) than if the mother had been small (2500-2999 g). CONCLUSION: Mothers who weighed less than 2000 g at birth have a higher risk of losing their own babies. For mothers who weighed > or = 2000 g their birth weight provides a benchmark for judging the growth of their offspring. Babies who are small relative to their mother''s birth weight are at increased risk of mortality.     

育龄妇女和母婴巨细胞病毒感染的流行病学调查

我们应用ＥＬＩＳＡ技术和ＰＣＲ技术对武汉市地区１０５１名育龄妇女和１　９　５对母婴的巨细胞病毒感染进行了血清流行病学调查。结果表明：１２４６名受检妇女ＣＭＶ　ＩｇＭ和　ＩｇＧ抗体阳性率分别为３．６％和８２．２％。１９５对母婴有２０名产妇尿中ＣＭＶ－ＤＮＡ阳性,所生子女中　有３名尿中ＣＭＶ－ＤＮＡ阳性,相关率为１５％。受检妇女中９８名有不良孕产史,其ＣＭＶ　ＩｇＭ和ＩｇＧ抗　体阳性率与无不良孕产史妇女比较均有显著性差异（ｐ＜０．０１）。     

Low Birth Weight at Term and Its Determinants in a Tertiary Hospital of Nepal: A Case-Control Study

Birth weight of a child is an important indicator of its vulnerability for childhood illness and chances of survival. A large number of infant deaths can be averted by appropriate management of low birth weight babies and prevention of factors associated with low birth weight. The prevalence of low birth weight babies in Nepal is estimated to be about 12-32%.Our study aimed at identifying major determinants of low birth weight among term babies in Nepal. A hospital-based retrospective case control study was conducted in maternity ward of Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital from February to July 2011. A total of 155 LBW babies and 310 controls were included in the study. Mothers admitted to maternity ward during the study period were interviewed, medical records were assessed and anthropometric measurements were done. Risk factors, broadly classified into proximal and distal factors, were assessed for any association with birth of low-birth weight babies. Regression analysis revealed that a history of premature delivery (adjusted odds ratio; aOR5.24, CI 1.05-26.28), hard physical work during pregnancy (aOR1.48, CI 0.97-2.26), younger age of mother (aOR1.98, CI 1.15-3.41), mothers with haemoglobin level less than 11gm/dl (aOR0.51, CI0.24-1.07) and lack of consumption of nutritious food during pregnancy (aOR1.99, CI 1.28-3.10) were significantly associated with the birth of LBW babies. These factors should be addressed with appropriate measures so as to decrease the prevalence of low birth weight among term babies in Nepal.     

Infanticide in chimpanzees: Review of cases and a new within-group observation from the Kanyawara study group in Kibale National Park

A prolonged attack on a mother and 2-year-old infant that resulted in the death of the infant was observed in the Kanyawara study group in Kibale National Park. The mother was a border-area resident who was first observed associating with unit-group males six years previously. The attackers were an adult male and an adult female with a 6-week-old infant clinging ventrally to her. The attack was unusual in several respects: it is the first time a male and a female chimpanzee have been observed cooperating closely in an infanticidal attack; the adult female initially attempted to intervene in the victim's behalf, but later joined in the attack after receiving aggression from the male; and the episode was longer in duration than other reported cases. In the year following the incident, the mother did not increase her association with community males, but was seen with the male who killed her infant. The relevance of these observations to sexual selection-based explanations for infanticide in chimpanzees is discussed.     

Rare Detection of Occult Hepatitis B Virus Infection in Children of Mothers with Positive Hepatitis B Surface Antigen

The prevalence of occult Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in children was considerably varied from 0.1–64% in different reports. In this study we aimed to investigate the prevalence of occult HBV infection among the children born to mothers with positive hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in Jiangsu, China. Serum samples were collected from 210 children of 207 mothers with positive HBsAg. HBV serological markers were detected by ELISA and HBV DNA was detected by nested PCR. Homology comparison of HBV sequences recovered from the child and mother was used to define the infection. Three children (1.43%) were positive for HBsAg, in whom the HBV pre S and S gene sequence in each child was identical to that in her mother. Of the 207 HBsAg-negative children, nine displayed HBV DNA positive by two nested PCR assays using primers derived from S and C genes. However, the sequence alignment showed that the sequences in each child were considerably different from those in his/her mother. Therefore, the sequences amplified from the children were very likely resultant from the cross-contaminations. Furthermore, the nine children with ‘positive HBV DNA’ were all negative for anti-HBc, and one had anti-HBs 3.42 mIU/ml and eight others had anti-HBs from 72 to >1000 mIU/ml, indicating that the nine children were less likely infected with HBV. Therefore, none of the 207 HBsAg-negative children of HBV-infected mothers was found to have occult HBV infection. We conclude that the prevalence of occult HBV infection in vaccinated children born to HBsAg positive mothers should be extremely low. We recommend that homology comparison of sequences recovered from the child and mother be used to define the occult HBV infection in children born to HBV infected mothers.     

The costs of human locomotion: Maternal investment in child transport

This article investigates maternal investment in child carrying and presents a method for determining when it is energetically advantageous for a mother to carry her child rather than force her child to walk independently. I calculate maternal and child energy consumption while walking and develop correction factors to facilitate making these energy calculations for young children. In addition, I investigate the effect of maternal burdens in addition to the child and of external nutritional support on energy consumption. Since maternal energy is a finite resource, the “decision” to carry a child or force it to walk independently is especially important. This decision can be predicted from the body mass of the mother and child and the child's age. If the mother provides all of the child's nutrition, then the mother should choose to carry her child only when the energy usage of the mother carrying the child is less than the sum of the energy used when the mother and child walk independently. The critical velocity, when the two expenditures are equal, can then be determined. Several general hypotheses are also addressed. The critical velocity of a 60 kg mother with a 4-year-old child approximately equals the average walking speed of adult humans. For a lighter mother, the critical velocity is reached when her child is 3 years old, while for heavier mother this point is not reached until her child is 6 years old. The effect of burdens in addition to the child's mass is minimal. Nutritional support of the child by agencies other than the mother decreases the age at which the mother should force the child to walk independently. In some cases, especially for the lightest mothers, it is never in the mother's best energetic interest to carry her child. Am J Phys Anthropol 107:71–85, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Maternal-fetal interaction in the ABO system: a comparative analysis of healthy mothers and couples with recurrent spontaneous abortion suggests a protective effect of B incompatibility.

We investigated the possible differential effects of A and B blood group materno-fetal incompatibility on human fertility through a comparative analysis of couples with recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) and healthy mothers. ABO phenotype was determined in 5180 healthy mothers and their newborn babies from the population of Sassari (Sardinia) and in 1359 healthy puerperae (women who have just given birth) from the population of Rome. Mother-newborn joint ABO distribution in healthy mothers was compared with wife-husband joint ABO distribution in RSA couples. Distortions from expected distribution were evaluated by symmetry analysis. In both RSA couples and healthy mothers significant deviation from expected symmetry patterns were observed. Deviations in RSA are in the opposite direction to those observed in healthy puerperae. The most important difference observed concerned the symmetric joint phenotypes mother (women) A/infant (husband) B (B incompatible) and mother (women) B/infant (husband) A (A incompatible). A low number of B incompatible in RSA couples and a high number of B incompatible in healthy mothers was observed. The phenomenon is much more evident in women aged 24-28 years, a period of maximum fecundity. It is possible that the presence of anti-B immunoglobulin in the mother might have a protective effect against fetal loss in some cases of mother-infant ABO incompatibility.     

Variant maple syrupurine disease in mother and daughter

Intermittent MSUD in a mother and her daughter is reported. Fibroblast cultures were studied for branched-chain keto acid decarboxylase and results show that the mother has approximately 12% while the daughter has 5% of the normal enzyme activity. Other key members in the family were also studied for enzyme activity. It appears that the child has inherited an abnormal gene from her homozygous mother and another abnormal gene from her heterozygous father.A classification based on the degree of residual enzyme activity and protein tolerance places the mother in grade III and the daughter in grade II category. Classical MSUD, where the enzyme activity is less than 2% of normal, belongs to grade I.     

Behavioral and endocrine dynamics associated with infanticide in a black and white colobus monkey (Colobus guereza)

Infanticide has been observed in several colobines, but only one infanticide has previously been documented for black and white colobus monkeys (Colobus guereza). This report describes an infanticide observed in Kibale National Park, Uganda, in the summer of 2001. An adult male from a neighboring group attacked and killed a young infant whose mother subsequently remained in her own group and was observed mating 10 days later. She engaged in two mating periods of several days each, separated by approximately 1 month, during which she copulated frequently with the dominant male within her group. Urinary estrogen (EC) and progesterone metabolite (PdG) excretion patterns demonstrated that the female resumed ovarian cycling soon after the infanticide. Because the infanticidal male did not attempt to mate with the victim's mother, his actions were not consistent with the predictions of the sexual-selection hypothesis. We speculate that infanticide associated with intergroup aggression may help secure access to high-quality resources for the infanticidal male's group.     

Diaplacental passage of Sarcocystis antibodies in man and rats (author's transl)]

Sera of babies up to the age of 3 months were tested for Sarcocystis antibodies using the indirect immunofluorescence test (IIFT). In addition titre of the Sarcocystis antibody level of litters born to serologic Sarcocystis positive mother rats was compared to those of their mothers. The results are as follows: 1. 45 (= 14.6%) out of 308 sera from babies up to the age of 3 months reacted positively in the Sarcocystis antibody test. 2. 28 (= 62.2%) out of the 45 positive sera were from babies up to 2 weeks old, 13 (= 28.9%) were from babies older than 2 weeks but not more than 4 weeks old, and 2 (=4.4%) each were from babies whose ages ranged from 4 to 8, and 8 to 12 weeks respectively. 3. These babies acquired their Sarcocystis antibodies which decreased in the first 3 months of life from their mothers. 4. Litters born to serologic Sarcocystis positive mother rats also demonstrated Sarcocystis antibodies. The titres of these antibodies were at the same level as their mothers' at birth but reduced gradually so that most of these young rats were negative at the age of 3 months. 5. Suckling rats born to Sarcocystis negative mothers but positive fathers remained negative. 6. Serologic positive mother and father rats still demonstrated Sarcocystis antibodies in the sera at a time when their litters have become negative. 7. Sarcocystis antibodies could be passed onto the newborn from their positive mothers in both man and rats. 8. These antibodies were probably passed onto the newborn through the placenta but their passage through the colostrum and the mother's milk cannot be ruled out.     

Presence and gradual disappearance of filaria-specific urinary IgG4 in babies born to antibody-positive mothers: a 2-year follow-up study

A total of 14 Sri Lankan pregnant women, who were anti-Brugia pahangi urinary IgG4 positive, and their 14 newborn babies were followed up for the urinary antibody for 2 years by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Eight babies showed positive IgG4 reaction, at least once within 4 months after birth. Urinary antibody titers of mothers and their babies measured around the perinatal period showed a significant positive correlation, suggesting that baby's IgG4 was transferred from the mother through the placenta. The IgG4 decreased gradually and became negative in all positive babies by day 339.3 after birth. The present result provides a basis to judge if a positive urine ELISA test among babies is due to a new filarial infection.     

New records of within-group infanticide and cannibalism in wild chimpanzees

Two cases of within-group infanticide and cannibalism were observed among the M Group chimpanzees of the Mahale Mountains, Tanzania. In both cases, victimized infants were male, 5 – 6 months of age, and in good health when killed. Four to five years have passed since the mothers of the victims immigrated into M Group as nulliparous immigrants. In one case the 2nd-ranking male was observed to detach the infant from the mother's belly. Both infants were finally killed by the alpha male after several adult males scrambled for the bodies. There was no evidence that the mothers had mated with males other than those of M Group. Nor was there evidence that the mothers had restrictive mating relationships with some of the M Group adult males. What little evidence is available shows that the mothers had mated mostly with adolescent and other immature males during their conception cycles. However, at least in one case, the mother began to mate more with adult males rather than with immature males after the infanticide. It is proposed that the function of within-group male infanticide can be explained by the male-male competition hypothesis developed for hanuman langurs and other nonhuman primates.     

Mother-child HLA compatibility ratios in children of Amerinidian parents who share common haplotypes.

Among 166 children whose parents share the HLA-A, -B, and -C antigens of at least one haplotype, there is a superficial concordance between observed and expected proportions of children whose mothers would recognize no foreign antigen in them. However, this balance is composed of fewer (64%) homozygous offspring than expected and more (147%) than the expected number of genotypes identical to the mother's. A homozygous child would be expected to recognize his or her mother as foreign, unless the mother was also homozygous, but an HLA-identical child would not. Thus, the number of children who might be immunologically tolerant of their mothers was greater than expected. No one of the three loci included in designating haplotypes was individually responsible for the divergences in haplotype frequency.     

OPERATIONS FOR HARELIP AND CLEFT PALATE—The Emotional Complications in Children

Mothers of children who need reconstructive operations for defects present at birth are likely to feel guilty, particularly if the pregnancy was unwanted. The physician treating the child is in a position to reassure the mother and assuage her guilt.To the child, the meaning of a surgical experience depends not on the type or seriousness of the actual operation, but on the type and depth of imaginings which it stimulates. For children between two and four, the anxiety of separation from the mother is greater than that aroused by the anesthetic. A good relationship with the mother will insulate the child against many traumatic events.A surgical operation is an important and stressful experience for a child, activating the great childhood fears of abandonment, of mutilation, and of death. Very frequently, children with harelip and cleft palate, by the time definitive restorative surgery is contemplated, have had emotional experiences that make them more than usually vulnerable to the harmful effects of operation. If the child can discuss the products of his imagination about the operation and have them corrected by someone he trusts, the total response will be more adequate. Talking out and playing out help prevent the development of excessive and harmful emotional reactions.     

The Scottish perinatal mortality survey.

Perinatal deaths in single births that occurred in Scotland during 1977 were investigated by case-record analysis. Causes of death were divided into nine categories, an extended version of the Aberdeen classification being used. Out of 1012 single perinatal deaths, 265 were due to fetal abnormality, which in 140 cases was malformation of the central nervous system. Of the 747 normally formed infants, 446 weighed 1500 g or more, of whom 82 died intra partum and 154 were born alive. The largest single cause of death was low birth weight in normally formed babies whose mothers had no complications of pregnancy (302 cases). Of these babies, 103 (34%) were growth-retarded. Rhesus incompatibility (16 deaths) and maternal diabetes (seven deaths) were not major causes of perinatal loss. These results were thought to be valuable in illustrating the main causes of perinatal mortality and directing attention to important issues. Hence a modified version of the study is being continued to see whether yearly audit by regional assessors is a feasible and practical way of monitoring trends in perinatal mortality.     

A case of infanticide in a recently found gelada population in Arsi, Ethiopia

There have been no reports of infanticide in wild gelada baboons and it has been argued that infanticide is not necessary in geladas, since the birth interval of female gelada can be shortened after takeover of a unit by a new leader male without infanticide. However, we observed an instance of infanticide in a newly-found wild gelada population in the Arsi Region of Ethiopia. After a leader male of the unit was severely wounded by a leopard attack, he was quite weakened. The second male of the unit, a young adult male, became the leader of the unit three weeks later, but the former leader continued to stay in the unit as a second male. After a week, two other adult males joined the unit which, therefore, came to include four adult males. The infanticide took place nine days later. The perpetrator was one of the immigrant males and he showed great interest in the mother of the unweaned victim infant. Although the perpetrator copulated with her after the infanticide, the usurper was found to own all three adult females after two weeks following the infanticide; i.e. the perpetrator could not own any female. The wounded former leader showed conspicuous protective behavior towards the victim's mother and the dead infant. One possible explanation for the occurrence of infanticide in this population of geladas is as follows. Gelada males in this area may be able to join units more easily to form multi-male units but then have shorter tenure in the units. Facing the unstable condition of units, they may sometimes engage in infanticide to increase their breeding opportunities, even before becoming a leader.     

Operations for harelip and cleft palate; the emotional complications in children

Mothers of children who need reconstructive operations for defects present at birth are likely to feel guilty, particularly if the pregnancy was unwanted. The physician treating the child is in a position to reassure the mother and assuage her guilt. To the child, the meaning of a surgical experience depends not on the type or seriousness of the actual operation, but on the type and depth of imaginings which it stimulates. For children between two and four, the anxiety of separation from the mother is greater than that aroused by the anesthetic. A good relationship with the mother will insulate the child against many traumatic events.A surgical operation is an important and stressful experience for a child, activating the great childhood fears of abandonment, of mutilation, and of death. Very frequently, children with harelip and cleft palate, by the time definitive restorative surgery is contemplated, have had emotional experiences that make them more than usually vulnerable to the harmful effects of operation. If the child can discuss the products of his imagination about the operation and have them corrected by someone he trusts, the total response will be more adequate. Talking out and playing out help prevent the development of excessive and harmful emotional reactions.     

Born too soon

In this Letter, the author walks through 'Memory Lane'. She reflects upon the birth, growth and developmental trajectory of her third child who was born too soon, in a major Hospital in London. Her aim is to share her knowledge and experiences with other parents and professionals. The author acknowledges the feelings which is so common amongst mothers of preterm babies i.e. that the baby does not belong to them. Moreover, she reflects upon her participation in caring for her daughter, how overwhelming it all was and her joy when her child left hospital and is a healthy teenager.     

Infanticide and Maternal Offspring Defence in European Rabbits under Natural Breeding Conditions

Infanticide is an important source of mortality of dependent offspring in several mammal species, whereas female conspecifics are often the perpetrators. This has led to maternal counter‐strategies, such as the defence of the nests. However, cases of infanticide are hard to detect in the field, and studies on maternal offspring defence behaviour under natural breeding conditions are scarce. We conducted such a study on the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), which is usually considered to show low maternal care. The study was carried out over 5 yr on a field enclosure population. We (1) studied infanticide rates and the impact of potential determinants: the group density and age structure of the females’ rank hierarchy within the groups; we used the latter as an estimator of social group stability. We (2) studied if mothers defend their breeding burrow against approaching, potentially infanticidal females. Overall, we recorded infanticide in 5% of all litters; infanticide was the cause in 12% of cases of litter mortality. The proportion of infanticide was 7% higher in groups where same‐age females occupied successive rank positions than in groups where the females’ rank hierarchy had a more heterogeneous and linear age structure. We hypothesize that social instability in the former groups was the reason for the increased infanticide risk. Infanticide rates were not correlated with group density and did not differ among mothers with different social ranks. Infanticide occurred exclusively during the first 10 d after parturition. During this time, mothers stayed closer to their breeding burrows than shortly before parturition or during later lactation. Moreover, mothers were more aggressive against other females in proximity to their breeding burrow than in more distant areas. We suggest that the pattern of spacing behaviour and intrasexual aggression of rabbit mothers are an adaptive response to the occurrence of female infanticidal behaviour.