Reference values for selected ophthalmic diagnostic tests of the capuchin monkey (Cebus apella)

Purpose To perform selected ophthalmic diagnostic tests in healthy capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) with the aim of establishing normal physiological reference values for this species. Methods A total of 15 healthy, capuchin monkeys were used to test most of the parameters in this investigation. Five of the 15 monkeys were used for the evaluation of normal conjunctival flora. Ages varied from 6 to 20 years of age. Selected diagnostic ocular tests were performed including Schirmer tear test (STT), tonometry using an applanation tonometer (Tonopen^®), central corneal thickness (CCT) using an ultrasonic pachymeter (Sonomed, Micropach^®, Model 200P+) and culture of the normal conjunctival bacterial flora. Results and discussion Results for selected ocular diagnostic tests investigated here for the capuchin monkey eye were as follows: IOP: 18.4 ± 3.8 mmHg; STT: 14.9 ± 5.1 mm/min; CCT: 0.46 ± 0.03 mm. No statistically significant differences between ages or genders were found for any of the results. Streptococcus sp. and Corynebacterium sp. were isolated from healthy conjunctival and eyelid margins, suggesting they are normal constituents of the conjunctival flora of the capuchin monkey. The data obtained in this investigation will help veterinary ophthalmologists and laboratory animal medicine specialists to more accurately diagnose ocular diseases in the capuchin monkey. These ophthalmic reference values will be particularly useful to diagnose discrete or unusual pathological changes of the capuchin monkey eye.     

Inactivated suckling mouse brain rabies vaccine provides short-term immunity in capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella).

Eight capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) were vaccinated against rabies with an inactivated suckling mouse brain vaccine (SMBV). Three 1-ml doses of 2% brain tissue suspension were given by i.m. injection at 0, 30, and 60 days. Blood samples were collected at 0, 30, 60, 90, 150, 210, 240, 300, and 365 days and were tested by simplified fluorescence inhibition to titer-neutralizing antibodies. All of the animals developed neutralizing antibodies with titers >0.5 IU/ml after vaccination, but the immune response persisted for only 122.3 +/- 32.6 days. The SMBV was able to induce immune response in the capuchin monkeys, but protection was short-lived.     

Descriptive anatomic study of the great vessels of the heart in the capuchin monkey Cebus apella (Linnaeus, 1758)

The aim of this study was to describe the anatomy of the great vessels of the heart in capuchin monkey (Cebus apella) and to compare with those of other primates, including humans. The hearts were prepared through fixation in 10% formalin and subsequently dissected using standard techniques and instruments. The arterial and venous systems were perfused with colored latex solution via the femoral vessels. An ascending cylindrical branch with relatively great caliber was identified in the aorta artery, in addition to an aortic arch, from which three great arteries were originated, the brachiocephalic trunk, the left common carotid artery and the left subclavian artery. After a course of variable extension, the pulmonary trunk divided into right and left pulmonary arteries. The caudal vena cava was morphologically similar to that of humans, except for its association with the cardiac lobe of the right lung, whereas the cranial vena cava was formed by the two braquiocephalic veins and received the azygos vein close to right atrium. The pulmonary veins, in number of six, ended at the posterior face of the left atrium, differently from both humans and other primates. In conclusion, the morphology of the great vessels of the heart in Cebus apella was similar to that of humans and other primates, although some differences are evidenced with regards to topography and number of anatomic structures, particularly the relationship of the caudal vena cava with the cardiac lobe of the right lung and the presence of six pulmonary veins in Cebus apella.     

Medical management of Toxoplasma meningitis in a white-throated capuchin (Cebus capucinus).

A 32-yr-old white-throated capuchin monkey (Cebus capucinus) was presented for paraparesis. A diagnosis of protozoal meningitis was made on the basis of a lymphocytic pleocytosis with elevated protein in cerebrospinal fluid and a positive serum titer to Toxoplasma gondii of 131,072 using an indirect hemagglutination test. Treatment with clindamycin and trimethaprim-sulfamethoxazole resulted in improvement within 3 days and complete clinical resolution within 2 wk.     

Exposure of hooded capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella cay) to a rabid bat at a zoological park.

On 27 May 1999, a big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus) was discovered on an island exhibit at the Denver Zoo that contained a troop of 15 hooded capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella cay). The monkeys were attacking the bat when it was discovered. The bat was collected and humanely euthanatized without direct handling and submitted to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Virology Laboratory for rabies evaluation. The monkeys had not been vaccinated against rabies virus. The next day, the laboratory confirmed that the bat was positive for rabies. The recommendations from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were to euthanatize the monkeys or quarantine them and comply with the human nonvaccinated postexposure protocol. A 1-ml dose of a killed rabies vaccine was administered i.m. in the hip on each of days 2, 7, 12, 19, and 33 postexposure, and a single dose of human rabies immune globulin was administered i.m. 5 days postexposure. Blood was collected under anesthesia in order to evaluate the immune response after rabies vaccination from six monkeys 5 days postexposure, six monkeys 19 days postexposure (five of the six monkeys were the same monkeys bled 5 days postexposure), 15 monkeys 67 days postexposure, and 13 monkeys approximately 1 yr postexposure. All of the monkeys developed and maintained levels of rabies virus neutralizing antibody above 0.05 IU/ml by 67 days postexposure. Although a serologic titer of 0.05 IU/ml indicates an adequate human response after rabies vaccination, no similar information is available for nonhuman primates. To date, none of the monkeys has succumbed to rabies.     

Morphometry and histochemistry of the semitendinosus muscle of tufted capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella Linnaeus, 1758)

Considering monkeys are animals closely related to the human, and semitendinosus muscle has been used in many postural research experiments, we have decided to study its histochemical characteristics. Samples were removed from the proximal, middle and distal regions of the semitendinosus muscles of five adult male tufted capuchin monkeys and observed for reaction with m-ATPase (with alkaline and acid pre-incubation), nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide tetrazolium reductase, and haematoxylin and eosin. The muscle fibres were classified as fast glycolytic (FG), fast oxidative glycolytic (FOG) and slow oxidative (SO) and quantified in terms of frequency and area. The three regions of the semitendinosus muscle showed no significant differences in frequency or area of the respective fibre types, and therefore the muscle can be considered histoenzymologically homogeneous. FG fibres presented higher frequencies and larger areas. The sum of FOG and SO fibres was 57.5%, suggesting that the semitendinosus muscle of the tufted capuchin monkey is adapted to an action involved in posture maintenance and in long arboreal dislocation. The present data agrees with the notion of differentiated quadrupedalism in some primates, which support a lower percentage of their weight on the fore limbs.     

Histological studies of retroperitoneal lymphatic vessels in Cebus apella

A histologic study of the retroperitoneal lymph vessels was carried out in the tufted capuchin (Cebus apella). The organization of the intima, media and surrounding adventitia is compared with that of other animals and man.     

Surgical procedure and postoperative management of a perineal urethrostomy in a chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes).

A chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) with traumatic loss of the distal penis developed a gradually enlarging ventral urethral swelling and progressive dysuria. Endoscopy identified a urethral diverticulum, and endoscopic resection of the diverticulum wall was performed. Postoperative infection caused extensive necrosis of the penis, which necessitated a perineal urethrostomy. Complications of the urethrostomy included urethral obstruction from recurrent urethral stricture. The stricture was managed by regular dilatation using urethral bougies. Because of considerable postoperative swelling, catheterization was required to allow micturition following both the diverticular resection and polyp debulking. A shortened catheter sutured to the skin was tolerated for up to 10 days. Four yr after the urethrostomy, the animal is healthy and asymptomatic with endoscopic examinations performed at 12 mo intervals. This case demonstrates that with appropriate aftercare, perineal urethrostomy is an effective technique in the treatment of chronic distal urethral obstruction in the chimpanzee and probably other primate species.