Air sacculitis in three rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) and one Japanese macaque (M. fuscata)

Bacterial infection of the laryngeal air sacs (air sacculitis) is infrequently reported in nonhuman primates, where it leads to chronic respiratory disease. It is particularly uncommon in macaques; however, we report here suppurative air sacculitis with extension to adjacent cervical tissues in three rhesus macaques and one Japanese macaque. Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus sp., and an anaerobic bacterium were isolated.     

Differences between the normal vaginal bacterial community of baboons and that of humans

Humans and baboons (Papio spp.) share considerable anatomical and physiological similarities in their reproductive tracts. Given the similarities, it is reasonable to expect that the normal vaginal microbial composition (microbiota) of baboons would be similar to that of humans. We have used a 16S rRNA phylogenetic approach to assess the composition of the baboon vaginal microbiota in a set of nine animals from a captive facility and six from the wild. Results show that although Gram‐positive bacteria dominate in baboons as they do in humans, there are major differences between the vaginal microbiota of baboons and that of humans. In contrast to humans, the species of Gram‐positive bacteria (Firmicutes) were taxa other than Lactobacillus species. In addition, some groups of Gram‐negative bacteria that are not normally abundant in humans were found in the baboon samples. A further level of difference was also seen even within the same bacterial phylogenetic group, as baboon strains tended to be more phylogenetically distinct from human strains than human strains were with each other. Finally, results of our analysis suggests that co‐evolution of microbes and their hosts cannot account for the major differences between the microbiota of baboons and that of humans because divergences between the major bacterial genera were too ancient to have occurred since primates evolved. Instead, the primate vaginal tracts appear to have acquired discrete subsets of bacteria from the vast diversity of bacteria available in the environment and established a community responsive to and compatible with host species physiology. Am. J. Primatol. 73:119–126, 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Indication of higher salivary α‐amylase expression in hamadryas baboons and geladas compared to chimpanzees and humans

Background Little is known about salivary α‐amylase expression in primates. Methods We compared saliva of gelada and hamadryas baboons, chimpanzees and humans using SDS‐PAGE and immunoblotting. Results and conclusions Amylase expression was increased in hamadryas baboons (P = 0.0376) compared to humans and might indicate dietary starch use in Cercopithecines.     

A cervical mass in a laboratory rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta): Suspicion of air sacculitis

A 13‐year‐old rhesus macaque presented a cervical swelling associated with sudden deterioration of its condition. This mass was surgically removed, and its histopathological examination revealed a stratified squamous epithelium. This appearance has been reported in some case of air sacculitis in others non‐human primate species.     

Pasteurella multocida infections in baboons (Papio cynocephalus)

The respiratory pathogenPasteurella multocida was isolated from infections of the laryngeal air sacs of two baboons and from abscesses in the neck or femoral area of two other baboons. The infections were associated with surgical procedures involving the cervical area, chronic catheterization, and chair restraint. The organism was also detected among the commensal pharyngeal flora in 2 of 15 clinically healthy, wildborn adult baboons. These findings suggest that the organism is harbored naturally in baboons and that exudative infections can occur secondary to specific procedures.     

Contamination of air systems: 1987–88 assessment and prospects of the Grenoble intervention group

Summary In order to evaluate bacterial and fungal contamination, the authors used a qualitative and quantitative procedure and investigated 47 air conditioning and humidifying units. Air samples were studied using Biotest RCS biocollector (160×6 liters on 6 different selective media), whilst dust samples were analysed after spreading 10 mg onto fungal media. Selective research ofLegionella and fungi were performed using water filtrates and specific media. Even though, the most frequently identified species were quite common environmental fungi, mainlyPenicillium, Alternaria andAspergillus fumigatus (36 out of 47 collections), the health effects of intense exposure to these common moulds are not really known.Staphylococcus aureus was identified 6 times and thermophilic actinomyces species (A. candidus) once. From the quantitative analysis a significant relationship was found between some risk factors and airborne contamination. Indeed bacteria and fungi number depends on the humidifying system (steam or washer), efficiency of secondary filters, relative humidity percentage (< or >60%), installation maintenance, industrial activity and complaints of people at risk. The presence of air recycling and biocide use seems only to have an influence on fungal flora. Having determined a global risk score for each air conditioning unit, the authors underline the fact that bacterial and fungal airborne contamination increases with score. Moreover, for a global, metrological, medical and technical evaluation, a multidisciplinary approach has proved itself to be indispensable.     

Oral infection with enteropathogenic Escherichia coli triggers immune response and intestinal histological alterations in mice selected for their minimal acute inflammatory responses

Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC), a leading cause of infant diarrhea, is an important public health problem in Brazil and other developing countries. In vitro assays of bacterial adhesion to cultured cells are important tools for studying bacterial pathogenicity but do not reproduce all the events that occur in natural infections. In this study, the effects of oral infection with EPEC on mice selected for their minimal acute inflammatory response (AIRmin) were evaluated. Mice were orally infected with EPEC and variations in body weight, bacterial shedding and antibody production observed. The infected animals developed seric and secretory anti‐EPEC antibodies; however, neither mortality nor diarrhea was observed. Light microscopy of their intestines demonstrated histological modifications that were not present in controls. However, electron microscopy did not show bacteria attached to the intestinal epithelia to form attaching and effacing lesions, characteristic of EPEC in humans. The bacteria were detected in Peyer's patches and intestinal contents up to 5 hr post‐infection. When human anti‐EPEC secretory immunoglobulin A or avian immunoglobulin Y antibodies were administered to infected animals, they developed minor histological alterations compared with non‐treated animals. In summary, it was found that EPEC triggers immune responses and intestinal histological alterations but does not produce evidence of diarrheal disease in mice infected by the oral route. This study of EPEC experimental infection provides a better understanding of the effects of antibodies on bacterial infections and may provide a suitable model for the design and testing of immunobiological products for active or passive immunization.     

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.     

Development of guidelines for assessing obesity in captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

Many captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) are subjectively considered to be overweight or obese. However, discussions of obesity in chimpanzees are rare in the literature, despite the acknowledged problem. No study to date has systematically examined obesity in captive chimpanzees. This project develops guidelines for defining obesity in captive chimpanzees through the examination of morphometric and physiologic characteristics in 37 adult female and 22 adult male chimpanzees. During each animal's biannual physical exam, morphometric data was collected including seven skinfolds (mm), body mass index (BMI), waist‐to‐hip ratio (WHR), and total body weight (kg). The morphometric characteristics were correlated with triglycerides and serum glucose concentration, to test the utility of morphometrics in predicting relative obesity in captive chimpanzees. Abdominal skinfold (triglyceride: F=3.83, P=0.05; glucose: F=3.83, P=0.05) and BMI (triglyceride: F=10.42, p=0.003; glucose: F=6.20, P=0.02) were predictive of increased triglycerides and serum glucose in females; however no morphometric characteristics were predictive of relative obesity in males. Results suggest that no males in this population are overweight or obese. For females, there were additional significant differences in morphometric (skinfolds, BMI, WHR, total body weight) and physiologic measurements (systolic and diastolic blood pressure, red blood cells) between individuals classified overweight and those classified non‐overweight. Skinfold measurements, particularly abdominal, seem to be an accurate measure of obesity and thus potential cardiovascular risk in female chimpanzees, but not males. By establishing a baseline for estimated body fat composition in female captive chimpanzees, institutions can track individuals empirically determined to be obese, as well as obesity‐related health problems. Zoo Biol 0:1–12, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Consortship and Mating Success in Chacma Baboons (Papio cynocephalus ursinus)

Chacma baboons (Papio cynocephalus ursinus) show a lower consortship take‐over rate and longer consortship duration than the other savannah baboons ( Bulger 1993 ). It has been argued that researchers have focused on atypically small troops with few adult males, resulting in low competition for access to oestrous females. Consortship data from two mountain baboon troops containing seven and four males, respectively, were analysed to determine whether the troop with the greater number of males showed a weaker correlation between mating success and rank due to an expected higher consortship take‐over rate. No consort take‐overs were observed in either study troop and mating success in both troops was correlated strongly with male rank. The distribution of days spent in consortship amongst the males could be explained by the priority‐of‐access‐model. The degree of cycle overlap determined the number of males observed consorting oestrous females, whereas the number of males did not influence the relationship between rank and consorting activity.     

Genital Ureaplasmas in nonhuman primates.

Ureaplasmas were isolated from the genital tracts of four of 22 (18.4%) male chimpanzees and eight of 23 (34.8%) female chimpanzees. Twenty-nine female rhesus monkeys, 38 female baboons, one gibbon, and black ape and one Java monkey were shown to be free of genital Ureaplasmas. The rate of reproductive failure among the chimpanzees was high and it is suggested that Ureaplasma may be responsible in part. The chimpanzee may serve as a useful model for human Ureaplasma genital infections.     

Normal vaginal flora in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes): qualitative and quantitative study

Lactobacilli are the predominant microorganisms in the vaginal flora of human beings, and are known to play an important role in protecting them from genital infections. On the other hand, the composition of the vaginal flora differs among laboratory animal species, and lactobacilli are not the predominant vaginal microorganism in many laboratory animals. We speculated that the vaginal flora of chimpanzees would be more similar to those of human beings than to those of other animal species, because chimpanzees are phylogenetically close to human beings, and their reproductive physiology is similar to that of human beings. To clarify our speculation, we examined the development of the vaginal flora in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). Streptococci, lactobacilli, and members of the family Bacteroidaceae were the most predominant bacteria in the vagina of mature chimpanzees (9 to 22 years old). During development of the vaginal flora of chimpanzees, the total number of bacteria increased with age and reached a plateau just before sexual maturity (5 to 7 years of age; juvenile period). Lactobacilli were already one of the predominant bacteria before sexual maturity. In mature chimpanzees, the total number of bacteria (aerobes and anaerobes) in the vagina was highest during the swelling phase of the menstrual cycle. During the swelling phase in mature chimpanzees, streptococci, lactobacilli, and Bacteroidaceae were the most frequently isolated (100%) organisms, and the total number of organisms recovered from vaginal specimens from these three groups was the highest. In mature chimpanzees in which the number of bacteria was the highest, lactobacilli were the predominant bacteria. Taken together, these results suggest that these three bacterial groups (streptococci, lactobacilli, and Bacteroidaceae) are indigenous to the vagina of chimpanzees, and chimpanzees would be the most suitable laboratory animals for studying the role of lactobacilli in the vagina of human beings.     

Acinetobacter infection associated with pneumonia in an orangutan

A 23-year old male orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) had been treated for two years for respiratory disease believed to be tuberculosis. Terminally, the animal developed mucopurulent rhinitis and refused food. Necropsy examination revealed diffuse, severe, bilateral chronic pleuritis, fibrinous bronchopneumonia and air sacculitis. Large numbers of gram-negative bacteria seen in the lung histologically were cultured from both the lung and air sacs and identified asAcinetobacter calcoaceticus varietylwoffi. The resistance of the isolatein vitro to ampicillin may have accounted for the lack of clinical response of the ill orangutan.     

Wild bacterial probiotics fed to larvae of mass‐reared Queensland fruit fly [Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt)] do not impact long‐term survival,mate selection,or locomotor activity

Queensland fruit fly [Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt), Diptera, Tephritidae] is the most devastating insect pest impacting Australian horticulture. The Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) is an important component of tephritid pest management programs. However, mass‐rearing and irradiation (to render insects sterile) may reduce the fitness and performance of the insect, including the ability of sterile males to successfully compete for wild females. Manipulation of the gut microbiome, including the supplementation with bacterial probiotics shows promise for enhancing the quality of mass‐reared sterile flies, however there are fewer published studies targeting the larval stage. In this study, we supplemented the larval stage of mass‐reared B. tryoni with bacterial probiotics. We tested several individual bacteria that had been previously isolated and characterized from the gut of wild B. tryoni larvae including Asaia sp., Enterobacter sp., Lactobacillus sp., Leuconostoc sp. We also tested a consortium of all four of these bacterial isolates. The fitness parameters tested included adult survival in field cages, laboratory mate selection of bacteria supplemented males by bacteria nonsupplemented females, and laboratory locomotor activity of adult flies. None of the bacterial probiotic treatments in the current study was significantly different to the control for field survival, mate selection or locomotor activity of adult B. tryoni, which agree with some of the other studies regarding bacterial probiotics fed to the larval stage of tephritids. Future work is needed to determine if feeding the same, and/or other probiotics to adults, as opposed to larvae can positively impact survival, mating performance, mating competitiveness and locomotor activity of B. tryoni. The bacterial group(s) and function of bacterial species that increase fitness and competitiveness is also of interest to tephritid mass‐rearing programs.     

Rearing of conventional and gnotobiotic nonhuman primates (Pan troglodytes, Papio cynocephalus, Saguinus nigricollis).

Rearing techniques for conventional and gnotobiotic nonhuman primates are described. Up to four months of age there was no significant difference in weight gain between conventionally and gnotobiotically reared chimpanzees or baboons. After four months, gnotobiotic chimpanzees exceeded their conventional counterparts in weight gain, whereas conventional baboons showed higher weight gain than gnotobiotic baboons. Gnotobiotic chimpanzees and baboons had significantly lower absolute numbers of neutrophils than their conventional counterparts, but the absolute numbers of lymphocytes were not different. The gnotobiotic rearing of marmosets is also reported.     

Gingival histoplasmosis: An atypical presentation of African histoplasmosis in three baboons (Papio spp)

Gingival lesions as the sole manifestation of African histoplasmosis (Histoplasma capsulatum var. duboisii) have never been reported in baboons. Grossly, lesions can be indistinguishable from bacterial ulcerative gingivitis or gingival hyperplasia. Clinical outcomes of primary gingival histoplasmosis in baboons are unknown and may complicate colony management decisions.     

Upper respiratory tract disease in captive orangutans (Pongo sp.): prevalence in 20 European zoos and predisposing factors

Background Upper respiratory tract disease (URTD) is a significant cause of morbidity in captive orangutans (Pongo abelii, Pongo pygmaeus), and the pathogenesis is often unknown. Methods The prevalence of respiratory disease in captive European orangutans (201 animals; 20 zoos) and possible predisposing factors were investigated. Results Bornean orangutans (P. pygmaeus) showed chronic respiratory signs significantly more often (13.8%) than Sumatran (P. abelii; 3.6%), and males (15.8%) were more often afflicted than females (3.9%). Hand‐reared animals (21%) developed air sacculitis more often than parent‐reared animals (5%). Diseased animals were more often genetically related to animals with respiratory diseases (93%) than to healthy animals (54%). None of the environmental conditions investigated had a significant effect on disease prevalence. Conclusion Results suggest a higher importance of individual factors for the development of URTD than environmental conditions. Bornean, male and hand‐reared orangutans and animals related to diseased animals need increased medical surveillance for early detection of respiratory disease.     

Medical and surgical approach to laryngeal air sacculitis in a baboon caused by Pasteurella multocida.

Air sacculitis was diagnosed in a chronically chaired baboon, Papio anubis. Pasteurella multocida was repeatedly isolated from the air sac for a period of 1 year. The condition was characterized by the continuous accumulation of either mucoserous or purulent fluid. Biopsies of the air sac taken during the course of the disease initially revealed goblet cell hyperplasia. Later a subepithalial mononuclear or polymorphonuclear infiltrate and necrosis was the predominate finding. Medical therapy was only intermittently successful and consisted of frequent drainage and antibiotics administered locally and intravenously. The condition was resolved after surgical resection of the air sac lining membrane.     

Male rank and reproductive activity in Savanna baboons

Access to sexually receptive baboon females has been linked to male dominance rank. An intensive 19-month field study of mate choice and mate competition among savanna baboons was undertaken in order to elucidate those factors influencing mating success. During this study, male agonistic rank was not correlated with male mating success among adult males. However, the inclusion of adolescent males into the analysis yielded significant correlations between rank and mating success. Examination of prior fieldwork revealed that no baboon field study has conclusively demonstrated a significant correlation between male rank and reproduction among adult males. Most studies reporting a correlation between male rank and reproduction have included subadult males in the analysis. It is concluded that male rank is an unreliable predictor of male reproductive activity among adult male baboons. A low agonistic rank need not reduce male mating success because adult male baboons utilize a variety of reproductive tactics in gaining access to consort females.