Haemogram and Serum Biochemical Values of Four Indigenous Species of Monkeys in South West Nigeria.

Haematological and serum biochemical values are useful guides and biomarkers in health and diseases for reaching a diagnosis, estimating disease prognosis and monitoring treatment progress, in mammals. Reference ranges for some parameters differ among species of mammals and between sexes within a species. There is dearth of information on standard reference value for blood parameters for Nigerian indigenous monkeys. Whole blood and serum samples obtained from 50 apparently healthy adult monkeys in both captivity and from the wild in southwest Nigeria were subjected to haematology and serum biochemistry to obtain preliminary reference values for haematological and serum biochemical analytes for Cercocebus sebaeus (Green monkey), Cercopithecus mona (Mona monkey), Erythrocebus patas (Patas monkey) and Papio anubis (Anubis baboon). Numerical data were summarized as mean and standard deviation and subjected to statistical analysis; Student t test and analysis of variance, to compare values of blood parameters obtained between species and gender. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered significant. The hematocrit of male animals were significantly higher than that of females (P=0.01) in all the 4 species studied but there was no significant difference in other blood parameters such as total white blood cell and the differential counts, platelet count, serum aspartate transferase, alanine transferase, alkaline phosphatase, total plasma protein, albumin, and globulin concentrations between the sexes. Generally, there was no significant difference between total white blood cell and the differential counts, hematocrit, red cell count, haemoglobin concentration, platelet count, serum aspartate transferase, alanine transferase, alkaline phosphatase, total plasma protein, albumin, and globulin concentrations among the monkey species.

Perinatal exposure of patas monkeys to antiretroviral nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitors induces genotoxicity persistent for up to 3 years of age.

BACKGROUND: Erythrocebus patas (patas) monkeys were used to model antiretroviral (ARV) drug in human immunodeficiency virus type 1-infected pregnant women. METHODS: Pregnant patas dams were given human-equivalent doses of ARVs daily during 50% of gestation. Mesenchymal cells, cultured from bone marrow of patas offspring obtained at birth and at 1 and 3 years of age, were examined for genotoxicity, including centrosomal amplification, micronuclei, and micronuclei containing whole chromosomes. RESULTS: Compared with controls, statistically significant increases (P < .05) in centrosomal amplification, micronuclei, and micronuclei containing whole chromosomes were found in mesenchymal cells from most groups of offspring at the 3 time points. CONCLUSIONS: Transplacental nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitor exposures induced fetal genotoxicity that was persistent for 3 years.

Reciprocal painting between humans, De Brazza's and patas monkeys reveals a major bifurcation in the Cercopithecini phylogenetic tree.

We report on reciprocal painting between humans and two Cercopithecini species, Erythrocebus patas (patas monkey) and Cercopithecus neglectus (De Brazza's monkey). Both human and monkeys chromosome-specific probes were made by degenerate oligonucleotide primed PCR (DOP-PCR) from flow sorted chromosomes. Metaphases of both monkey species were first hybridized with human chromosome-specific probes and then human metaphases were hybridized with chromosome paints from each monkey species. The human paint probes detected 34 homologous segments on the C. neglectus karyotype, while the C. neglectus probes, including the Y, revealed 41 homologous segments on the human karyotype. The probes specific for human chromosomes detected 29 homologous segments in the E. patas karyotype, while the patas monkey probes painted 34 segments on the human karyotype. We tested various hypotheses of Cercopithecini phylogeny and taxonomy developed by morphologists, molecular biologists and cytogeneticists. Our hybridization data confirm that fissions (both Robertsonian and non-Robertsonian) are the main mechanism driving the evolutionary trend in Cercopithecini toward higher diploid numbers and strongly suggest an early phylogenetic bifurcation in Cercopithecini. One branch leads to Cercopithecus neglectus/Cercopithecus wolfi while the other line leads to Erythrocebus patas/Chlorocebus aethiops. Allenopithecus nigroviridis may have diverged prior to this major phylogenetic node.

Chromosome abnormalities in peripheral blood lymphocytes from Macaca fascicularis and Erythrocebus patas (Cercopithecidae, Catarrhini) after X-ray irradiation.

In this paper, we describe the results of a qualitative and quantitative study of chromosomal reorganizations in X-irradiated (1 Gy and 2 Gy) lymphocytes from Macaca fascicularis (MFA) and Erythrocebus patas (EPA). A total of 515 breakpoints in M. fascicularis and 271 breakpoints in E. patas have been detected, identified and localized in the ideogram of the species. The Chi square test indicates that the distribution of breakpoints along the chromosomes is not random in M. fascicularis, and is not random for the p and q arms and bands in both species. Chromosome 5 of M. fascicularis (MFA5), chromosome 1 of E. patas (EPA1), and chromosome arms MFA5q, and EPA 1p are significantly more affected than expected, while chromosome MFA9 is less affected. Terminal regions of chromosome arms accumulate a higher number of breakpoints than the rest of the chromosome (44.4% in M. fascicularis and 45.98% in E. patas); 92.06% and 91.97% of breakpoints are observed in G negative bands in M. fascicularis and E. patas, respectively.

[Electrophoretic polymorphism in Erythrocebus patas]. / Polymorphisme électrophorétique chez Erythrocebus patas.

Variations were observed at the prealbumin-2, carbonic anhydrase-I, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, phosphoglucomutase-II and adenylate kinase loci in Erythrocebus patas subspecies pyrrhonotus. But the level of heterozygosity was very low compared with those of the different African monkey species studied by the same electrophoretic analysis. The reasons for this low variation are discussed with regard to ethological and genetic structure characteristics of the group studied.

Detection of G-C rich heterochromatin by 5-azacytidine in mammals.

A new effect of 5-ACR (5-azacytidine), observed in fibroblast or kidney cell cultures is described in the calf (Bos taurus) and in some selected primates (Cebus capucinus, Erythrocebus patas, and Cercopithecus cephus). This cytidine analogue, used at low doses during the last late S phase, prevents the condensation of R-band positive heterochromatin (G-C rich segments). Thus, 5-ACR treatment can be used as a simple method for the detection of G-C rich heterochromatin.