Rearing of conventional and gnotobiotic nonhuman primates (Pan troglodytes, Papio cynocephalus, Saguinus nigricollis).

Rearing techniques for conventional and gnotobiotic nonhuman primates are described. Up to four months of age there was no significant difference in weight gain between conventionally and gnotobiotically reared chimpanzees or baboons. After four months, gnotobiotic chimpanzees exceeded their conventional counterparts in weight gain, whereas conventional baboons showed higher weight gain than gnotobiotic baboons. Gnotobiotic chimpanzees and baboons had significantly lower absolute numbers of neutrophils than their conventional counterparts, but the absolute numbers of lymphocytes were not different. The gnotobiotic rearing of marmosets is also reported.

Hemograms of gnotobiotic and conventional infant baboons (Papio cynocephalus).

Five baboons delivered by cesarean section were placed in sterile isolation and maintained in this environment for varying periods of time. Four of these neonates were inoculated at birth with viral material and used in special studies. The fifth animal was not inoculated and remained germfree for 11 1/2 mo. Hematologic observations were made on all these subjects. The animals reared in sterile isolators had stable erythrocyte values as compared with those of their conventional counterpart. Conventionally-reared baboons had higher leukocyte counts than the infants in a sterile environment, and the lymphocyte numbers of isolator-reared infants increased at a slower rate than the conventional infants.