The electrocardiogram of Macaca fascicularis

Electrocardiograms from 16 male cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) were studied. Standard and augmented limb leads (I, II, III, aVR, aVL, aVF) were obtained with the animals restrained in a sitting position. Normal electrocardiographic parameters were determined, including PR and QT intervals; P, QRS, and T wave axes; P and QRS wave widths. Voltages in all standard and augmented limb leads were lower than previously reported for similar size monkeys.     

Stillbirths in Macaca fascicularis

BACKGROUND: Stillbirths in non-human primates are a major problem and represent failure of the maternal-fetal-placental unit to maintain normal relationships because of various endogenous, undetermined or environmental factors. METHODS: Records of 236 stillborns and their dams in a Macaca fascicularis colony during a 7-year period were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: The 7-year stillbirth incidence was 11.99% (236 stillbirths, 1967 live births). Most (61.02%, n = 144) were of undetermined etiology. Fetal causes included trauma (22.46%, n = 53), fetal pneumonia (0.85%, n = 2) and congenital anomalies (0.42%, n = 1). Maternal causes included dystocia (9.75%, n = 23) and uterine rupture (0.42%, n = 1). Forty-nine placentas were available for histologic evaluation; there was placentitis in five, necrosis in five and placental abruption in two. Most stillbirths occurred close to term. First stillbirths usually occurred in 8- to 12-year-old animals during the first six pregnancies. CONCLUSIONS: Most stillbirths were of undetermined etiology. Fetal trauma was the most common cause.     

Observation of ovulation in Macaca fascicularis

Objectives of the present study were to view the moment of ovulation, determine the postovulatory relationships between the ovary and egg mass, and to characterize ovulation in consecutive cycles of the Macaca fascicularis. Laparoscopic observation of the ovaries of 17 adult regularly cycling Macaca fasicularis was made during their menstrual cycles at the optimal time for detecting follicular development. Preovulatory morphology, follicular rupture and immediate postovulatory morphology were noted and photographed. Data are presented correlating the duration of the follicular phase and the luteal phase with that of the total cycle.     

The effect of vasopressin on memory processes in Macaca fascicularis]

The role of vasopressin (arginin-vasopressin) in the regulation of conditioned instrumental food-procuring reactions and different kinds of memory such as delayed reflexes, image, short-, and long-time memory was studied in monkeys. Motor and autonomic effects of vasopressin were assessed. It was found that in monkeys, vasopressin administration differently affected the simple conditioned food-procuring reactions and memory. During functional disorders of the higher nervous activity, vasopressin was more efficient in its action on memory and its restoration. Formation of two types of vasopressin effects on the higher nervous activity in evolution of mammals is discussed.     

Blood pressure values in Macaca fascicularis

Normal data are presented for blood pressure values of adult Macaca fascicularis. The mean arterial pressure (direct) was 99 +/- 9.8 mmHg (mean +/- standard deviation) and was not correlated with sex, age, or weight. Normative data are presented that suggest that this species has a range of values similar to that observed in other primate species including man.     

Placental transfer of phenylalanine in Macaca mulatta and Macaca fascicularis

We investigated placental transport mechanisms of phenylalanine in Macaca mulatta and Macaca fascicularis. In the beginning of the third trimester we administered i.v. phenylalanine and p-chlorophenylalanine to pregnant animals. Initial higher phenylalanine concentrations were observed followed by a rapid decrease in both rhesus mothers and fetuses when compared with phenylalanine levels in fascicularis mothers and fetuses. In general, however, placental transfer mechanisms of phenylalanine did not differ significantly between the two species.     

Semen preservation in Macaca fascicularis.

Semen was collected from adult male Macaca fascicularis using a rectal probe for electro-ejaculation. The effect on sperm motility of varying semen extender egg yolk concentration, pH, glycerol concentration, and equilibration times of sperm with glycerol was examined. No significant difference was observed between motilities at extender egg yolk concentrations of 10% to 40%. Progressive motility was significantly greater at pH 7.2 and 8.0 than at 5.8, 6.5, and 8.7 (p less than 0.05). Glycerol concentrations of 7% and 10% yielded optimum progressive motility after freezing. A 1-minute equilibration of semen in extender containing glycerol resulted in greater sperm motility after freezing than did equilibration for 25 or 45 minutes.     

The development of range of action in infant cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) reared by restrained mothers

In order to study the effects of the mothers' range of action on the development of their infants' range of action during the first year of life, mother cynomolgus monkeys were restrained in their range of action by penning them in a separation cage within the large cage of the harem group they belonged to. The infants, however, could leave their mothers' separation cage. The control group consisted of infants growing up with unrestrained mothers in the same group. It appeared that infants of restrained mothers were initially retarded in the development of their range of action but at the end of the first year they did not differ anymore from infants of unrestrained mothers. It is concluded that the maternal range of action only temporarily affects the development of the infant's range of action.     

Seropositivity to HCV in Macaca fascicularis

Several non-human primate species are used as laboratory animals for research purposes. Non human primates represent a potential hazard for laboratory animal handlers as they exceed all other species in importance as potentiators of disease in laboratory personnel (Quist K.D., 1972). Hepatitis viruses cause some of the prevalent diseases in man which constitute an important public health problem. The first outbreak of the infection was related to non human primates and occurred in 1958-1960 in USA, with more then 200 human cases. Chimpanzee is the main species that has been implicated but others have also been involved. We report a case of seropositivity to HCV antigens in Macaca fascicularis using a third generation RIBA assay. The nature of reactivity of the positive samples could not be resolved as no animal in the breeder colony had been exposed to an HCV source. Furthermore, Macaca spp. did not appear to be a susceptible species in previous studies.     

Mitogenomic phylogeny of the common long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis fascicularis)

Background

Long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) are an important model species in biomedical research and reliable knowledge about their evolutionary history is essential for biomedical inferences. Ten subspecies have been recognized, of which most are restricted to small islands of Southeast Asia. In contrast, the common long-tailed macaque (M. f. fascicularis) is distributed over large parts of the Southeast Asian mainland and the Sundaland region. To shed more light on the phylogeny of M. f. fascicularis, we sequenced complete mitochondrial (mtDNA) genomes of 40 individuals from all over the taxon’s range, either by classical PCR-amplification and Sanger sequencing or by DNA-capture and high-throughput sequencing.

Results

Both laboratory approaches yielded complete mtDNA genomes from M. f. fascicularis with high accuracy and/or coverage. According to our phylogenetic reconstructions, M. f. fascicularis initially diverged into two clades 1.70 million years ago (Ma), with one including haplotypes from mainland Southeast Asia, the Malay Peninsula and North Sumatra (Clade A) and the other, haplotypes from the islands of Bangka, Java, Borneo, Timor, and the Philippines (Clade B). The three geographical populations of Clade A appear as paraphyletic groups, while local populations of Clade B form monophyletic clades with the exception of a Philippine individual which is nested within the Borneo clade. Further, in Clade B the branching pattern among main clades/lineages remains largely unresolved, most likely due to their relatively rapid diversification 0.93-0.84 Ma.

Conclusions

Both laboratory methods have proven to be powerful to generate complete mtDNA genome data with similarly high accuracy, with the DNA-capture and high-throughput sequencing approach as the most promising and only practical option to obtain such data from highly degraded DNA, in time and with relatively low costs. The application of complete mtDNA genomes yields new insights into the evolutionary history of M. f. fascicularis by providing a more robust phylogeny and more reliable divergence age estimations than earlier studies.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-1437-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Factors influencing nursing in Macaca fascicularis.

Nursing by two mother-infant pairs in a caged colony of Macaca fascicularis was monitored at 1-min intervals for 8 h beginning 8:30 a.m. BST, once a week for 3 months in the summer of 1973. Nursing occupied about 210 min in 8 daylight hours for the infants at 10 weeks of age, and the time spent nursing decreased at the average rate of 9.4 min per week until the infants were about 6 months old. The time spent nursing by the infants studied here resembles closely the times spent nursing by some other macaques and by baboons. In the course of a day the amount of time spent nursing varies significantly with a diurnal peak. If nursing by one mother-infant pair is independent of nursing by the other pair, then the time the two pairs spend nursing together would be a function of the product of the frequencies of nursing by each pair. The expected times for the pairs nursing together based on the hypothesis of independent events were significantly less than the observed times the pairs nursed together. Nursing, therefore, involves a positive influence or imitation of one nursing pair by the other. Nursing sessions involving both mother-infant pairs were longer on the average than sessions involving only one pair.     

The cerebral artery in cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis)

Cerebral artery structure has not been extensively studied in primates. The aim of this study was to examine the cerebrovascular anatomy of cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis), which are one of the most commonly used primates in medical research on human diseases, such as cerebral infarction and subarachnoid hemorrhage. In this study, we investigated the anatomy and diameter of cerebral arteries from 48 cynomolgus monkey brain specimens. We found three anatomical differences in the vascular structure of this species compared to that in humans. First, the distal anterior cerebral artery is single. Second, the pattern in which both the anterior inferior cerebellar artery and posterior inferior cerebellar artery branch from the basilar artery is the most common. Third, the basilar artery has the largest diameter among the major arteries. We expect that this anatomical information will aid in furthering research on cerebrovascular disease using cynomolgus monkeys.     

食蟹猴阴道涂片的动态观察

目的　为食蟹猴实施人工授精和适时配种提供一种有效的测定排卵期的方法。方法　选择 4～ 6岁性成熟的雌性食蟹猴 30只 ,对其阴道涂片进行动态观察。结果与结论　食蟹猴阴道涂片中主要有角化上皮细胞、中层基底细胞、白细胞和细胞碎片等。分析结果说明 ,白细胞数各时期差异均具显著性 ;角化上皮细胞在月经前期和月经期没有差异 ,但其他各期差异具显著性 ;月经期和月经后期中层基底细胞数目变化差异不显著 ,但其他各期差异具显著性 ;月经前期和月经期的细胞碎片数目相似 ,但其他各期差异具显著性。各时期细胞成份变化规律是 ,角化上皮细胞从月经期到排卵期呈逐渐增加至最高 ,然后逐渐减少 ;而白细胞、中层基底细胞和细胞碎片则恰好相反。     

Macaca fascicularis: alternative epileptic model.

In view of the relatively recent Indian embargo on rhesus monkeys ($\text{Macaca mulatta}$), our data indicate that the iris (or crab-eating) macaque ($\text{M. fascicularis}$) is a suitable substitute species as a model for experimental epilepsy. Sensorimotor intracortical aluminum-hydroxide injections in the iris monkey result in chronic recurring seizures as readily as in rhesus. Comparable drug plasma levels and seizure frequency patterns show the former is a reliable alternative epileptic animal model for the latter. Differences between these two species in diet and body size do not require extensive readjustment of housing and maintenance facilities. The histochemical findings suggest that the iris monkey might also become an alternative to other experimental animal models for which the rhesus has been used in the health sciences.