Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) predation on primates in Caratinga Biological Station, Southeast Brazil

This study demonstrates that ocelots (Leopardus pardalis) extensively use primates as a food resource at the Caratinga Biological Station (CBS) in Southeast Brazil. Analysis of 60 fecal samples collected over 4 years revealed predation upon the brown howler monkey (Alouatta guariba), the muriqui (Brachyteles hypoxanthus), and the brown capuchin monkey (Cebus apella). The most frequent items found in the fecal samples analyzed were Calomys (n=16) and non-identified Aves (n=15), followed by A. guariba (n=12). Although Rodentia was the most common group consumed (n=52) Primates were found in 27% of total fecal samples and were the third most consumed group in relation to the total items. Particularly, predation of A. guariba by ocelots (20% of the total fecal samples) was not an isolated event; our results showed that this species was preyed on across several months. Predation on primates was far higher at CBS than at other sites where comparable studies have been carried out.     

Prevalence of rotavirus and norovirus antibodies in non-human primates

Rotavirus and norovirus are associated with a substantial burden of diarrheal disease in humans and some animals, but their role in acute viral gastroenteritis in non-human primates has not been established. We examined sera from five species of Old and New World monkeys and chimpanzees for antibodies to rotavirus and norovirus by enzyme immunoassays using RRV and three recombinant human norovirus capsid proteins, respectively. Most (88%) of the 3 Old World monkey species (mangabey, pigtail, and rhesus) and apes were seropositive for rotavirus. Norovirus antibody was prevalent in the three monkey species, with 53% (44/83) and 58% (48/83) seropositive for GI and GII strains, respectively. Eleven (92%) of the 12 chimpanzees tested were seropositive for GI norovirus. Given the high rate of infection with both viruses, the role of these agents in causing acute gastroenteritis in non-human primates and the value of these animals as models of infection and disease need to be assessed.     

Concentrations of cadmium,zinc, copper,iron, and metallothionein in liver and kidney of nonhuman primates

To evaluate the species specificity of Cd accumulation and the relationship of Cd with other essential metals and metallothionein (MT), the concentrations of Cd, Zn, Cu, and Fe in the liver and kidney and the MT concentrations in the soluble fractions of the liver and kidney were determined in Cd-uncontaminated nonhuman primates (11 species, 26 individuals) kept in a zoo and two wild-caught Japanese macaques. The compositions of metal-binding proteins in the soluble fractions were also investigated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The hepatic Cd concentration was 0.03–14.0 μg/g and the renal Cd concentration was 0.35–99.0 μg/g, both varying greatly and being higher in nonhuman primates, which were more closely related to man. The hepatic Zn concentration was 24.0–176 μg/g and the renal Zn concentration was 13.5–138 μg/g, showing 7- to 10-fold differences, and a correlation (r=0.558, p<0.01) was found between renal Zn and renal Cd concentrations. It was proved that in the liver, MT is more closely correlated with Zn (r=0.795, p<0.001) than with Cd (r=0.492, p<0.01) and that in the kidney MT is correlated with both Cd (r=0.784, p<0.001) and Zn (r=0.742, p<0.001). HPLC analysis of metals bound to MT-like protein in chimpanzees, de Brazza’s monkeys, and Bolivian squirrel monkeys showed that more than 90% of Cd in both the liver and kidney, approx 40% of Zn in liver and 28–69% of Zn in kidney were bound to MT-like protein. The higher percentage Zn was bound to high-molecular protein.     

Drivers of jaguar (Panthera onca) and puma (Puma concolor) predation on endangered primates within a transformed landscape in southern Mexico

Human pressures have increasingly placed keystone species, such as large cats, under threat. Together with forest loss, prey depletion is one of the main threats to the survival of jaguars (Panthera onca) and pumas (Puma concolor) throughout the Neotropics. Generally, primates are not considered main prey for jaguar and puma, and their inclusion in the diet could be indicative of ongoing prey species decline. Here, we investigate the effect of habitat type and disturbance on primate predation by large cats. Surveys took place during the dry seasons (March to June) of 2010 and 2011, covering a total of 608.5 km across 24 localities in the Uxpanapa Valley, Mexico. We found 65 felid scat samples with the aid of a wildlife scat detection dog, and then examined them to identify predator species and classify the prey remains they contained. Primates represented the most frequent prey (35%) for both jaguar and puma in our study site and constituted approximately half of the biomass consumed by these felines in the area. Primate remains were more likely to be found in scats surrounded by the lowest percentage of conserved forest or in areas surrounded by more villages, showing the potential effects of human activities on these species' populations. The high proportion of primates found in scats within our study site could be an early indication that populations of ungulates and other “typical” prey are beginning to collapse, and urgent conservation interventions are needed for both large cats and primates before they become locally extinct. Abstract in Spanish is available with online material.     

A new southern limit for the distribution ofAlouatta caraya in Rio Grande do Sul State,Brazil

The discovery of two groups of the black howler monkey,Alouatta caraya, inhabiting two orchards on a cattle farm, Fazenda Casa Branca (29°56′S, 55°59′W), Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil, represents a new southern limit for the geographic distribution of this species.     

Birth seasonality and offspring production in threatened neotropical primates related to climate

Given the threatened status of many primate species, the impacts of global warming on primate reproduction and, consequently, population growth should be of concern. We examined relations between climatic variability and birth seasonality, offspring production, and infant sex ratios in two ateline primates, northern muriquis, and woolly monkeys. In both species, the annual birth season was delayed by dry conditions and El Niño years, and delayed birth seasons were linked to lower birth rates. Additionally, increased mean annual temperatures were associated with lower birth rates for northern muriquis. Offspring sex ratios varied with climatic conditions in both species, but in different ways: directly in woolly monkeys and indirectly in northern muriquis. Woolly monkeys displayed an increase in the proportion of males among offspring in association with El Niño events, whereas in northern muriquis, increases in the proportion of males among offspring were associated with delayed onset of the birth season, which itself was related, although weakly, to warm, dry conditions. These results illustrate that global warming, increased drought frequency, and changes in the frequency of El Niño events could limit primate reproductive output, threatening the persistence and recovery of ateline primate populations.     

precision holding in humans,non-human primates,and Plio-Pleistocene hominids

Human Evolution - Four Types of precision holding in the human hand have been identified and described in accordance with the contrasting regional properties of a differentiated ungual pulp of the...     

Peripherally administered non-peptide oxytocin antagonist, L368,899, accumulates in limbic brain areas: a new pharmacological tool for the study of social motivation in non-human primates

Central administration of oxytocin (OT) antagonists inhibits maternal and sexual behavior in non-primates, providing the strongest experimental evidence that endogenous OT facilitates these behaviors. While there have been a few reports that ICV administration of OT increases social behaviors in monkeys, no studies to date have assessed the effects of OT antagonists. Therefore, we studied in rhesus monkeys whether L368,899, a non-peptide antagonist produced by Merck that selectively blocks the human uterine OT receptor, penetrates the CNS after peripheral administration and alters female maternal and sexual behavior. In two studies in four male monkeys, L368,899 was injected iv (1 mg/kg) after which (1) CSF samples were collected at intervals over 4 h and (2) brains were collected at 60 min. Assay of samples confirmed that iv-administered L368,899 entered CSF and accumulated in the hypothalamus, septum, orbitofrontal cortex, amygdala and hippocampus, but not other areas. An adult female monkey was tested for interest in either an infant or sexual behavior, receiving a different iv treatment prior to each test (1 or 3 mg/kg of L368,899 or saline). OT antagonist treatment reduced or eliminated interest in the infant and sexual behavior. These results, although preliminary, are the first to directly implicate endogenous OT in activation of primate maternal interest and sexual behavior. While it remains to be empirically demonstrated that peripherally administered L368,899 blocks central OT receptors, our behavioral findings suggest that this non-peptide antagonist may facilitate testing OT involvement in a variety of social and other behaviors in primates.     

Immunoglobulin allotypes (Gm,Am, and Km) in non-human primates

The immunoglobulin (Ig) allotypes (Gm, Am, and Km systems) are the genetic markers of the human IgG1, IgG2, IgG3(Gm), IgA2(Am), and kappa light chain(Km). The Gm system, with 18 allotypes shows the greatest degree of polymorphism and we define two Am and three Km allotypes. In this review, we report all the results observed in non-human primates belonging to Hominoidea, Cercopithecoidea, Ceboidea, Lorisoidea, Lemuroidea, and Tupaoidea superfamilies (72 species and subspecies). They concern published data and new unpublished ones. The distribution of the human allotypes and their localization are reported, as well as discordant results observed in some cases with anti-allotype reagents of the same specificity (human and animal origin). Some allotypes are restricted to man. Hominoidea have the greatest number of Gm allotypes and the richest polymorphism. Relatively few allotypes have been found in Cercopithecoidea and Prosimians; most Platyrrhinian species have no allotype. The epitopic polymorphism has been interpreted in terms of evolution of Ig allotypes from primate to man and of the phylogenetic relationships of non-human primate species.     

Histopathological changes in liver, kidney and muscles of pesticides exposed malnourished and diabetic rats

Histopathological changes were observed in liver, kidney and muscles of normal, protein-malnourished, diabetic as well as both protein-malnourished and diabetic albino rats when exposed to a mixture of monocrotophos, hexachlorocyclohexane and endosulfan at varying intervals. The examination revealed hepatotoxic, nephrotoxic and muscular necrotic effects in pesticides exposed rats. Toxicity was aggravated in protein-malnourished and diabetic animals and more so, if the animals were both diabetic and protein-malnourished.     

Morphocytochemical, immunohistochemical and ultrastructural characterization of the head kidney of fat snook Centropomus parallelus

This study characterized the structure and the morphocytochemical, immunohistochemical and ultrastructural aspects of the head kidney (HK) of the fat snook Centropomus parallelus. The HK is enclosed by a thin capsule of connective tissue, from which fine trabeculae originate and branch into the interior of organ. In the parenchyma, there are aggregates of lymphoid cells containing populations of lymphocytes T immunopositive for CDRO45, in a nodular arrangement, around blood vessels and melano-macrophage centres. Among the cells that constituted these aggregates and surrounded them, were macrophages and monocytes, and their precursors, with strong immunopositivity for CD68, along with cells of the granulocytic lineage in various phases of maturation positive for lysozyme and PAS. Macrophages and chromaffin and interrenal cells are also present. Ultrastructurally, the HK comprises a reticulum-endothelial stroma consisting of endothelial cells, reticulocytes of the fibroblast type and macrophage type and a parenchyma with increased cellularity, principally blood cells of the erythrocytic, granulocytic, lymphocytic, monocytic and thrombocytic series.     

Free fatty acids,lipid peroxidation,and lysosomal enzymes in experimental focal cerebral ischemia in primates: Loss of lysosomal latency by lipid peroxidation

Experimental focal cerebral ischemia was produced in monkeys (Macaca radiata) by occlusion of the right middle cerebral artery (MCA). The release of the lysosomal glycosidases, -d-hexosaminidase, -l-fucosidase and -d-mannosidase into the soluble fraction in the right basal ganglia of the experimental animals was measured at different periods from 30 min to 12 hr after occlusion and compared with the corresponding sham operated control animals. There was a significant increase in the released lysosomal enzymes in the MCA occluded animals at all periods and particularly at 4 hr after occlusion. The CSF from the experimental animals also showed elevated levels of hexosaminidase and fucosidase. The free fatty acids (FFA) measured in the basal ganglia at 30 min and 2 hr after occlusion showed a 100 fold increase in the experimental animals. The predominant fatty acid released was linoleic acid (18:2) followed by arachidonic acid (20:4). Lipid peroxidation in the basal ganglia measured by the thiobarbituric acid (TBA) reaction in the presence or absence of ascorbic acid also showed a significant increase in the experimental animals at all periods with a maximum at 30 min to 2 hr after occlusion. In order to assess whether lipid peroxidation causes damage to the lysosomes and release of the enzymes, a lysosome enriched P₂ fraction from the normal monkey basal ganglia was prepared and the effect of peroxidation studied. Maximum peroxidation in the P₂ fraction was observed in the presence of arachidonic acid, ascorbic acid and Fe²⁺. There was a good correlation between the extent of lipid peroxidation and the in vitro release of lysosomal hexosaminidase from the P₂ fraction. Anti-oxidants which strongly inhibited lipid peroxidation in the P₂ fraction prevented the release of hexosaminidase. The results suggested that in ischemia produced by MCA occlusion lipid peroxidation which damages the lysosomal membrane causes the release of lysosomal hydrolytic enzymes.Abbreviations used BHA butylated hydroxyanisole - BHT butylated hydroxytoluene - FFA free fatty acids - MCA middle cerebral artery - MDA malonaldehyde - PUFA polyunsaturated fatty acids - TBA thiobarbituric acid     

An AAV-based,room-temperature-stable,single-dose COVID-19 vaccine provides durable immunogenicity and protection in non-human primates

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A word in the hand: action, gesture and mental representation in humans and non-human primates

The movements we make with our hands both reflect our mental processes and help to shape them. Our actions and gestures can affect our mental representations of actions and objects. In this paper, we explore the relationship between action, gesture and thought in both humans and non-human primates and discuss its role in the evolution of language. Human gesture (specifically representational gesture) may provide a unique link between action and mental representation. It is kinaesthetically close to action and is, at the same time, symbolic. Non-human primates use gesture frequently to communicate, and do so flexibly. However, their gestures mainly resemble incomplete actions and lack the representational elements that characterize much of human gesture. Differences in the mirror neuron system provide a potential explanation for non-human primates' lack of representational gestures; the monkey mirror system does not respond to representational gestures, while the human system does. In humans, gesture grounds mental representation in action, but there is no evidence for this link in other primates. We argue that gesture played an important role in the transition to symbolic thought and language in human evolution, following a cognitive leap that allowed gesture to incorporate representational elements.