Development of an operational trap for collection, killing, and preservation of triatomines (Hemiptera: Reduviidae): the kissing bug kill trap.

Surveillance of triatomines or kissing bugs (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae), the insect vectors of Trypanosoma cruzi, a Chagas disease agent, is hindered by the lack of an effective trap. To develop a kissing bug trap, we made iterative improvements over 3 years on a basic design resulting in 7 trap prototypes deployed across field sites in Texas, United States and Northern Mexico, yielding the capture of 325 triatomines of 4 species (Triatoma gerstaeckeri [Stål], T. sanguisuga [LeConte], T.

Gastrointestinal tract pathology of the owl monkey ( spp.).

Owl monkeys are small nocturnal new world primates in the genus that are most used in biomedical research for malaria. Cardiomyopathy and nephropathy are well-described common diseases contributing to their morbidity and mortality; less is known about lesions affecting the gastrointestinal tract. Records from a 14-year period (2008-2022) at the Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and Research were queried to identify instances of spontaneous gastrointestinal disease that directly contributed to the cause of death from the 235 adult owl monkeys submitted for necropsy.

Exclusion of Horizontal and Vertical Transmission as Major Sources of Infections in a Breeding Colony of Rhesus Macaques ().

The vector-borne protozoal parasite causes Chagas disease in humans and animals. This parasite is endemic to the southern United States where outdoor-housed NHP at biomedical facilities are at risk of infection. In addi- tion to the direct morbidity caused by , infected animals are of limited biomedical research use because infections can produce confounding pathophysiologic changes even in animals with no clinical disease.

Frequency Variation and Dose Modification of Benznidazole Administration for the Treatment of Trypanosoma cruzi Infection in Mice, Dogs, and Nonhuman Primates.

Trypanosoma cruzi naturally infects a broad range of mammalian species and frequently results in the pathology that has been most extensively characterized in human Chagas disease. Currently employed treatment regimens fail to achieve parasitological cure of T. cruzi infection in the majority of cases.

Structurally divergent and recurrently mutated regions of primate genomes.

To better understand the pattern of primate genome structural variation, we sequenced and assembled using multiple long-read sequencing technologies the genomes of eight nonhuman primate species, including New World monkeys (owl monkey and marmoset), Old World monkey (macaque), Asian apes (orangutan and gibbon), and African ape lineages (gorilla, bonobo, and chimpanzee). Compared to the human genome, we identified 1,338,997 lineage-specific fixed structural variants (SVs) disrupting 1,561 protein-coding genes and 136,932 regulatory elements, including the most complete set of human-specific fixed differences. Across 50 million years of primate evolution, we estimate that 819.

The role of flumazenil in generalised anxiety disorder: a pilot naturalistic open-label study with a focus on treatment resistance.

Background: Anxiety disorders are highly prevalent and chronic disorders with treatment resistance to current pharmacotherapies occurring in approximately one in three patients. It has been postulated that flumazenil (FMZ) is efficacious in the management of anxiety disorders via the removal of αβ2δ gamma-aminobutyric acid A receptors.

Objective: To assess the safety and feasibility of continuous low-dose FMZ infusions for the management of generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) and collect preliminary efficacy data.

Frequency variation and dose modification of benznidazole administration for the treatment of infection in mice, dogs and non-human primates.

naturally infects a broad range of mammalian species and frequently results in the pathology that has been most extensively characterized in human Chagas disease. Currently employed treatment regimens fail to achieve parasitological cure of infection in the majority of cases. In this study, we have extended our previous investigations of more effective, higher dose, intermittent administration protocols using the FDA-approved drug benznidazole (BNZ), in experimentally infected mice and in naturally infected dogs and non-human primates (NHP).

Long-Term Management of Generalised Anxiety Disorder with Low-Dose Continuous Infusions of Flumazenil: A Case Series.

Background: Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) is a common anxiety disorder associated with social and occupational impairment. Recently, a theory was postulated that dysfunctional gamma aminobutyric acid type A receptors (GABA) are implicated in anxiety symptomology, which could be corrected by flumazenil, an antagonist at the benzodiazepine binding site on the GABA receptor.

Method: Participants had a primary diagnosis of GAD and were treated initially with an eight-day continuous low-dose flumazenil infusion (total 32 mg at a rate of 4 mg/24 h).

Primate hemorrhagic fever-causing arteriviruses are poised for spillover to humans.

Simian arteriviruses are endemic in some African primates and can cause fatal hemorrhagic fevers when they cross into primate hosts of new species. We find that CD163 acts as an intracellular receptor for simian hemorrhagic fever virus (SHFV; a simian arterivirus), a rare mode of virus entry that is shared with other hemorrhagic fever-causing viruses (e.g.

Treatment Strategies and Mechanisms Associated with the Prevention of NASH-Associated HCC by a Toll-like Receptor 4 Inhibitor.

Unlabelled: We evaluated the cancer preventive efficacy of TAK-242, an inhibitor of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), in a mouse model of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) occurring in the context of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). We also assessed the cellular events associated with the preventive treatment efficacy. We tested oral administration of TAK-242, at clinically relevant but toxicity-reducing doses and scheduling, in mice with hepatocyte-specific deletion of Pten (HepPten-).

Discovery of an orally active benzoxaborole prodrug effective in the treatment of Chagas disease in non-human primates.

Trypanosoma cruzi, the agent of Chagas disease, probably infects tens of millions of people, primarily in Latin America, causing morbidity and mortality. The options for treatment and prevention of Chagas disease are limited and underutilized. Here we describe the discovery of a series of benzoxaborole compounds with nanomolar activity against extra- and intracellular stages of T.

Histopathological Analysis of Adrenal Glands after Simian Varicella Virus Infection.

Latent varicella zoster virus (VZV) has been detected in human adrenal glands, raising the possibility of virus-induced adrenal damage and dysfunction during primary infection or reactivation. Rare cases of bilateral adrenal hemorrhage and insufficiency associated with VZV reactivation have been reported. Since there is no animal model for VZV infection of adrenal glands, we obtained adrenal glands from two non-human primates (NHPs) that spontaneously developed varicella from primary simian varicella virus (SVV) infection, the NHP VZV homolog.

Effects of relocation on immunological and physiological measures in female squirrel monkeys (Saimiri boliviensis boliviensis).

In the present study, we have quantified the effects of transport, relocation and acclimate/adapt to their new surroundings on female squirrel monkey. These responses are measured in blood samples obtained from squirrel monkeys, at different time points relative to their relocation from their old home to their new home. A group of squirrel monkeys we transported, by truck, for approximately 10 hours.

Reproductive Outcomes in Rhesus Macaques () with Naturally-acquired Infection.

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.

Selective use of primate CD4 receptors by HIV-1.

Individuals chronically infected with HIV-1 harbor complex viral populations within their bloodstreams. Recently, it has come to light that when these people infect others, the new infection is typically established by only one or a small number of virions from within this complex viral swarm. An important goal is to characterize the biological properties of HIV-1 virions that seed and exist early in new human infections because these are potentially the only viruses against which a prophylactic HIV-1 vaccine would need to elicit protection.

A glycan shield on chimpanzee CD4 protects against infection by primate lentiviruses (HIV/SIV).

Pandemic HIV-1 (group M) emerged following the cross-species transmission of a simian immunodeficiency virus from chimpanzees (SIVcpz) to humans. Primate lentiviruses (HIV/SIV) require the T cell receptor CD4 to enter into target cells. By surveying the sequence and function of CD4 in 50 chimpanzee individuals, we find that all chimpanzee CD4 alleles encode a fixed, chimpanzee-specific substitution (34T) that creates a glycosylation site on the virus binding surface of the CD4 receptor.

Lymphocytes upregulate CD36 in adipose tissue and liver.

CD36 is a multifunctional scavenger receptor and lipid transporter implicated in metabolic and inflammatory pathologies, as well as cancer progression. CD36 is known to be expressed by adipocytes and monocytes/macrophages, but its expression by T cells is not clearly established. We found that CD4 and CD8 T cells in adipose tissue and liver of humans, monkeys, and mice upregulated CD36 expression (ranging from ~5-40% CD36+), whereas little to no CD36 was expressed by T cells in blood, spleen, and lymph nodes.

Mammosphere Culture of Mammary Cells from Cynomolgus Macaques ().

The mammary gland contains adult stem cells that are capable of self-renewal. Although these cells hold an important role in the biology and pathology of the breast, the studies of mammary stem cells are few due to the difficulty of acquiring and expanding undifferentiated adult stem cell populations. In this study, we developed mammosphere cultures from frozen mammary cells of nulliparous cynomolgus macaques () as a culture system to enrich mammary stem cells.

Adipocytes impair efficacy of antiretroviral therapy.

Adequate distribution of antiretroviral drugs to infected cells in HIV patients is critical for viral suppression. In humans and primates, HIV- and SIV-infected CD4 T cells in adipose tissues have recently been identified as reservoirs for infectious virus. To better characterize adipose tissue as a pharmacological sanctuary for HIV-infected cells, in vitro experiments were conducted to assess antiretroviral drug efficacy in the presence of adipocytes, and drug penetration in adipose tissue cells (stromal-vascular-fraction cells and mature adipocytes) was examined in treated humans and monkeys.

Trypanosoma cruzi Transmission Among Captive Nonhuman Primates, Wildlife, and Vectors.

Natural infection of captive nonhuman primates (NHPs) with Trypanosoma cruzi (agent of Chagas disease) is an increasingly recognized problem in facilities across the southern USA, with negative consequences for NHP health and biomedical research. We explored a central Texas NHP facility as a nidus of transmission by characterizing parasite discrete typing units (DTU) in seropositive rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), identifying the wildlife reservoirs, and characterizing vector infection. In seropositive NHPs, we documented low and intermittent concentrations of circulating T.

Experimental Zika Virus Infection of Neotropical Primates.

The establishment of a sylvatic reservoir of Zika virus (ZIKV) in the Americas is dependent on the susceptibility of primates of sufficient population density, the duration and magnitude of viremia, and their exposure to the human mosquito-borne transmission cycle. To assess the susceptibility of squirrel ( sp.) and owl monkeys ( sp.

Owl monkey CCR5 reveals synergism between CD4 and CCR5 in HIV-1 entry.

Studying HIV-1 replication in the presence of functionally related proteins from different species has helped define host determinants of HIV-1 infection. Humans and owl monkeys, but not macaques, encode a CD4 receptor that permits entry of transmissible HIV-1 variants due to a single residue difference. However, little is known about whether divergent CCR5 receptor proteins act as determinants of host-range.

Use of an Implantable Loop Recorder in a Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) to Monitor Cardiac Arrhythmias and Assess the Effects of Acupuncture and Laser Therapy.

Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death in captive chimpanzees and is often associated with myocardial fibrosis, which increases the risk of cardiac arrhythmias. In this case report, we present a 36-y-old male chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) diagnosed with frequent ventricular premature complexes (VPC). We placed a subcutaneous implantable loop recorder for continual ECG monitoring to assess his arrhythmias without the confounding effects of anesthetics.