Chagas disease is a zoonotic vector-borne disease caused by infection with the protozoan parasite is found in Latin America and the Southern United States, where it infects many species, including humans and nonhuman primates (NHPs). NHPs are susceptible to natural infection and can develop clinical symptoms consistent with human disease, including Chagasic cardiomyopathy, gastrointestinal disease and transplacental transmission, leading to congenital infection. Due to evidence of Chagas transmission in Texas, this study hypothesized infection was present in a closed, outdoor-housed breeding colony of rhesus macaques () located at a biomedical research facility in Central Texas.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOver the past two decades, 33 cases of colonic adenocarcinomas have been diagnosed in rhesus macaques () at the nonhuman primate colony of the Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and Research at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. The distinctive feature in these cases, based on PET/computed tomography (CT) imaging, was the presence of two or three tumor lesions in different locations, including proximal to the ileocecal juncture, proximal to the hepatic flexure, and/or in the sigmoid colon. These colon carcinoma lesions selectively accumulated [F]fluorodeoxyglucose ([F]FDG) and [F]fluoroacetate ([F]FACE) at high levels, reflecting elevated carbohydrate and fatty acid metabolism in these tumors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChronic pain and distress are universally accepted conditions that may adversely affect an animal's quality of life (QOL) and lead to the humane euthanasia of an animal. At most research institutions and zoological parks in the USA, a veterinarian, who has physically examined the animal and reviewed the clinical records, ultimately decides when an animal has reached a humane endpoint. To aid in the difficult process of interpreting pain and distress, we have developed specific behavioural guidelines, in addition to standard clinical information, to help define unique characteristics and traits of primates to assess and promote discussion of an individual primate's QOL, and thereby, to assist in the decision-making process regarding euthanasia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: A 4-year-old rhesus macaque presented with acute, progressive paresis of the extremities.
Methods: A complete blood count, serum biochemical analysis, neurologic exam and necropsy were performed.
Results: The clinical, histopathological, and immunohistochemical findings confirmed a high-grade intramedullary glial tumor of the spinal cord that was most consistent with an ependymoma.
A 10-y-old multiparous rhesus macaque presented for an annual routine physical examination. Clinically, the animal had pale mucous membranes, petechial and ecchymotic hemorrhages in multiple sites, and a laceration at the tail base. Severe pancytopenia was noted on hematologic evaluation.
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