Showing papers on "Primate published in 1997"

Spatial View Cells in the Primate Hippocampus

Abstract: Hippocampal function was analysed by making recordings in rhesus monkeys actively walking in the laboratory. In a sample of 352 cells recorded in the hippocampus and parahippocampal cortex, a population of ‘spatial view’ cells was found to respond when the monkey looked at a part of the environment. The responses of these hippocampal neurons (i) occur to a view of space ‘out there’, not to the place where the monkey is, (ii) depend on where the monkey is looking, as shown by measuring eye position, (iii) do not encode head direction, and (iv) provide a spatial representation that is allocentric, i.e. in world coordinates. This representation of space ‘out there’ would be an appropriate part of a primate memory system involved in memories of where in an environment an object was seen, and more generally in the memory of particular events or episodes, for which a spatial component normally provides part of the context.

Reproductive senescence predicts cognitive decline in aged female monkeys

Abstract: The present investigation provide evidences from a non-human primate model that naturally occurring menopause predicts a prominent signature of age-related cognitive decline. Young and aged rhesus monkeys were tested on a delayed response (DR) task known to the sensitive to aging, and reproductive status was evaluated according to menstrual cyclicity and urinary hormone profiles. Peri-/postmenopausal monkeys exhibited significant DR impairments relative to either age-matched premenopausal females, or young control subjects. In addition, markers of endocrine decline in the aged animals were selectively correlated with behavioral performance measures that distinguished premenopausal and peri-/postmenopausal monkeys. These results document that menopause is coupled to cognitive decline in the monkey, and they establish a valuable primate model for defining the effects of endocrine aging on brain and behavioral function.

Stable isotope ratios indicate diet and habitat use in New World monkeys.

Abstract: This paper demonstrates the use of stable isotope ratios of carbon and nitrogen in animal tissues for indicating aspects of species behavioral strategy. We analyzed hair from individuals representing four species of New World monkeys (Alouatta palliata, the mantled howler; Ateles geoffroyi, the spider monkey; Cebus capucinus, the capuchin; and Brachyteles arachnoides, the woolly-spider monkey or muriqui) for d 13 C and d 15 N using previously developed methods. There are no significant differences in either carbon or nitrogen ratios between sexes, sampling year, or year of analysis. Seasonal differences in d 13 C reached a low level of significance but do not affect general patterns. Variation within species was similar to that recorded previously within single individuals. The d 13 C data show a bimodal distribu- tion with significant difference between the means. The two monkey popula- tions living in an evergreen forest were similar to each other and different from the other two monkey populations that inhabited dry, deciduous forests. This bimodal distribution is independent of any particular species' diet and reflects the level of leaf cover in the two types of forest. The d 15 N data display three significantly different modes. The omnivorous capuchins were most positive reflecting a trophic level offset. The spider monkeys and the muriquis were similar to one another and significantly more positive than the howlers. This distribution among totally herbivorous species correlates with the ingestion of legumes by the howler monkey population. In combination, these data indicate that museum-curated primate material can be analyzed to yield information on forest cover and diet in populations and species lacking behavioraldata.Am.J.Phys.Anthropol.103:69-83,1997. r 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Genomic diversity and evolution of papillomaviruses in rhesus monkeys.

Abstract: We are studying the diversity of and relationships among papillomaviruses (PVs) to understand the modes and timescales of PV evolution and in the hope of finding animal PVs that may serve as model systems for disease caused by human PVs (HPVs). Toward this goal, we have examined 326 genital samples from rhesus monkeys and long-tailed macaques with a PCR protocol optimized for detecting genital HPV types. In 28 of the rhesus monkey samples, we found amplicons derived from 12 different and novel PV genomes, RhPV-a to RhPV-m, with the likely taxonomic status of "type." The frequency with which novel RhPVs were detected suggests that rhesus monkeys may play host to PVs with a diversity similar to that of humans. In phylogenetic trees, all 12 of the different RhPVs and the previously described type RhPV-1 were members of the genital HPV supergroup and formed three minor branches distinct from the 11 branches formed by genital HPVs. We also identified a novel PV amplicon, MfPV-a, from a long-tailed macaque, a species belonging to the same genus as rhesus monkeys. MfPV-a turned out to be a close relative of five RhPVs. It appears that the evolution of primate lineages leading to the genus Macaca and to humans created transmission barriers for PVs, resulting in viral evolution closely linked to the host. Additional support for the linked-evolution hypothesis comes from considering the phylogenetic association of two other ape and monkey PVs with the genital HPVs, the supergroup formed by at least seven ungulate PVs, and the isolated phylogenetic position of the only known bird PV.

Perception of the Ponzo illusion by rhesus monkeys, chimpanzees, and humans: similarity and difference in the three primate species.

Abstract: In Experiment 1, 3 rhesus monkeys and 1 chimpanzee were tested for their susceptibility to the Ponzo illusion. The subjects were first trained to report the length of the target bar presented at the center of the computer display by touching either of the two choice locations designated as “long” or “short.” When inverted-V context lines were superimposed on the target bar, the subjects tended to report “long” more often as the apex of these upward-converging lines approached the target bar. The perception of the Ponzo illusion was thus demonstrated. In Experiment 2, the same 3 rhesus monkeys and 2 new chimpanzees were tested using two types of context lines that provided different strengths of linear perspective. The subjects showed a bias similar to that found in Experiment 1, but there was no difference in the magnitude of the bias between the two types of context in either species. This failed to support the classic account for the Ponzo illusion, the perspective theory, raised by Gregory (1963). In Experiment 3, the magnitude of the illusion was compared between the inverted-V context and the context consisting of short vertical lines having the same gap as the former in the same 3 rhesus monkeys and 2 of the chimpanzees from the preceding experiments. While the chimpanzees showed the illusion for both types of stimuli, the monkeys showed no illusion for the latter. In Experiment 4, 6 humans were tested in a comparable procedure. As in the nonhuman primates, the illusion was unaffected by the strength of linear perspective. On the other hand, the humans showed considerably larger illusion for the context consisting of vertical lines than for contexts consisting of converging lines. Thus, there was a great species difference in the effect of the gap itself on the magnitude of the Ponzo illusion. Similarity found at first turned out to be no more than superficial. Possible sources of this species difference are discussed.

Earliest known Old World monkey skull

Abstract: Similarities of the skull are commonly used to support hypotheses of ancestor–descendant relationships between fossil and living ape genera, especially between the late Miocene apes Sivapithecus and Dryopithecus from Eurasia and the living orang-utan (Pongo) from Borneo and Sumatra1,2,3,4. Yet determining whether craniofacial traits shared by extant and Miocene apes are primitive or derived is severely hampered by the rarity of well-preserved fossil crania, particularly of early members of their closest outgroup, the Old World monkeys (Cercopithecoidea). The discovery of a complete and undistorted skull of Victoriapithecus at middle Miocene deposits from Maboko Island, Kenya, provides evidence of intact cranial-vault and basicranial morphology, brain size and craniofacial hafting for a primate from between 32 and 7 million years ago. Victoriapithecus represents a branch of Old World monkey that is intermediate between extant cercopithecids (Colobinae and Cercopithecinae) and the common ancestor they shared with apes (Hominoidea)5,6,7,8. The skull preserves traits widely thought to be derived for extant and fossil members of a proposed Sivapithecus/Pongo clade, but which now appear to be primitive features of ancestral Old World higher primates in general.

Dyadic associations of red Colobus and diana monkey groups in the Taï National Park, Ivory Coast

Abstract: Members of the genus Colobus have been observed to associate frequently with Cercopithecus monkeys in several African sites. In the Tai National Park, Ivory Coast, one group of western red colobus was found to be in association with one particular group of diana monkeys more than could be expected by chance (Holenweg et al., 1996). We show that dyadic association is not an idiosyncrasy of these two groups, but rather a pattern that is general for our study site. All five red colobus groups we studied were closely associated with diana monkeys during more than 60% of the time. Four groups had one particular diana partner group, the fifth two different partners. Apart from the red colobus, three more primate species, the olive colobus, Campbell's monkey, and the lesser spot-nosed monkey, were also strongly attracted to diana monkeys.

Cloning and expression of the glucocorticoid receptor from the squirrel monkey (Saimiri boliviensis boliviensis), a glucocorticoid-resistant primate.

Abstract: New World primates such as the squirrel monkey have elevated cortisol levels and glucocorticoid resistance We have shown that the apparent binding affinity of the glucocorticoid receptor in squirrel monkey lymphocytes is 5-fold lower than that in human lymphocytes (apparent Kd, 209 ± 18 and 43 ± 02 nmol/L, respectively; n = 3), consistent with previous studies in mononuclear leukocytes isolated from the two species As a first step in understanding the mechanism of decreased binding affinity in New World primates, we used reverse transcription-PCR to clone the glucocorticoid receptor from squirrel monkey liver and have compared the sequence to receptor sequences obtained from owl monkey liver, cotton-top tamarin B95-8 cells, and human lymphocytes The squirrel monkey glucocorticoid receptor is approximately 97% identical in nucleotide and amino acid sequence to the human receptor The ligand-binding domain (amino acids 528–777) of the squirrel monkey glucocorticoid receptor contains four amino acid d

Threat to Humans from Virus Infections of Non-human Primates

Abstract: Several hundred distinct non human primate species are recognised, and they are likely to harbour a similar range of viruses to humans. Simians such as cynomolgus and rhesus macaques, African green monkeys, and marmosets are widely used for biomedical research, but despite this extensive close contact very few simian viruses have been shown to pose a threat of infection or illness to humans. Herpesvirus Simiae is the best recognised zoonotic hazard of simians. It is an alphaherpes virus of Asiatic macaques, which causes a mild or subclinical primary infection followed by latency in its natural host. It can be acquired by humans following a bite and causes an ascending meningoencephalitis. Less than 40 human cases have been described and the mortality rate in untreated human infections is 70%. The infection is treatable with acyclovir and extensive guidelines for managing simians and potential exposures have been developed. Ebola virus and Marburg virus have caused epizootics in cynomolgus macaques and vervet monkeys respectively, which have resulted in human infection and fatalities. However, non human primates are unlikely to be their natural host. More recently simian immunodeficiency virus and simian foamy virus have infected researchers, but infection has not been linked to illness. Simian viruses also pose a direct threat to humans through the use of primary monkey tissue cultures in laboratory work and vaccine manufacture, indeed a significant exposure of the human population occurred when cells contaminated with SV40 a polyomavirus of rhesus monkeys were used for polio vaccine production. New medical interventions such as xenotransplantation using primate organs pose a potential risk which requires careful assessment. Copyright 1997 by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Dietary restriction in rhesus monkeys: lymphopenia and reduced mitogen-induced proliferation in peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

Abstract: Dietary restriction (DR) markedly extends mean and maximal life span, and retards the rate of biological aging in rodent models; however, it is unknown if these results occur in primate species. The purpose of the current study was to investigate selected immunologic outcomes in Rhesus monkeys subjected to DR for a period of seven years. Similar to observations in mice on DR, lymphopenia occurred in the restricted monkeys. Compared to normally fed controls, the mitogen-induced proliferative responses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were reduced in monkeys subjected to DR very early in life (up to 1 year), but not in others restricted in young adulthood (3–5 years). These data indicate that lymphopenia is a shared occurrence in rodents and primates on DR. However, the mitogeninduced proliferative data accumulated in rodents and primates cannot now be compared because PBMC have not been studied long enough or in comparable detail in primates fed restricted diets.

Learning impairment induced by lesion of the CA1 field of the primate hippocampus: attempts to ameliorate the impairment by transplantation of fetal CA1 tissue.

Abstract: Monkeys with bilateral excitotoxic lesion of the CA1 field of the hippocampus were severely impaired at learning visuospatial conditional tasks. This was not a general spatial impairment, because the animals were not impaired on serial spatial reversal, which requires response flexibility in the spatial domain; they were not impaired at learning to choose the position furthest away from a single stimulus, which requires analysis of spatial layout of the test area, and they were not impaired at discriminating between two patterns that differed only in orientation. CA1-lesioned monkeys were impaired at learning a visuospatial conditional task when trials of the two component types ”if AA go left” and ”if BB go right” were presented according to either a pseudorandom or alternating schedule; but they were not impaired if one component type of trial was presented until three consecutive correct responses were made, followed by the other type of trial, to three consecutive correct responses. In all cases testing continued until a criterion of 27 of 30 consecutive correct responses across both types of trial was achieved. Although this suggests that CA1-lesioned animals are particularly prone to interference effects, they had no difficulty in learning ten concurrent visual discriminations presented against either a uniform background or with each discrimination presented against its own distinctive background, a condition that might reduce interference in unoperated monkeys. Interference following hippocampal damage might occur at a deeper level than stimulus identification such that animals with hippocampal damage may be able to learn about many aspects of different stimuli in parallel but may be unable to learn about multiple related aspects of the same subject matter. Monkeys with grafts of fetal CA1 tissue in the lesioned CA1 field showed significant improvement relative to CA1-lesioned animals on those tasks on which CA1-lesioned animals were impaired, although they remained impaired relative to control animals. This suggests that the grafts had produced some improvement in performance. Grafted monkeys did not differ from unoperated control monkeys or from CA1-lesioned monkeys on those tasks that were not sensitive to CA1 damage. This demonstrates that the grafts did not have an additional deleterious effect on cognitive performance.

Flow cytometric analysis on reactivity of human T lymphocyte-specific and cytokine-receptor-specific antibodies with peripheral blood mononuclear cells of chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta), and squirrel monkey (Saimiri sciureus)

Abstract: There are relatively few monoclonal antibodies (mAb) that have been characterized for their applicability in studies on the immune system of various nonhuman primates. In the present study, we identified a large number of mAb that can be used in future immunological studies in three different nonhuman primates, i.e., chimpanzees, rhesus macaques, and squirrel monkeys. The reactivity of 161 anti-human mAb to T-cell antigens and cytokine receptors were tested on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from the three primate species by flow cytometric analysis. A total of 105 (65%), 73 (45%), and 68 (42%) antibodies reacted with PBMC from chimpanzees, rhesus macaques, and squirrel monkeys, respectively. Out of the 161 mAb, 38 reacted with all three species and 112 reacted with one or two of the species. No specific reaction was observed with mAb to receptors to GM-CSF, 4-1BB, FLT3, FLX2, common beta-chain, IL-1 (type I receptor), and IL-8.

Relation between phylogeny of African green monkey CD4 genes and their respective simian immunodeficiency virus genes

Abstract: An apparent species-specific relatedness of SIVagm suggests a coevolution with their natural hosts. However, the exact species or subspecies classification of African green monkeys, AGM, is uncertain because current classification schemes rely on phenotype markers, while more definitive genetic data are lacking. In this study, the CD4 protein involved in tissue type recognition was genetically cloned and sequenced from PBMC RNA from all AGM species, including Barbados green monkeys (BGM). Phylogenetic trees were constructed that also included genomic CD4 nucleotide sequences from patas, sooty mangabeys, rhesus and pig-tail macaques, chimpanzees, and humans. Chimpanzees and humans consistently clustered together. Monkeys within the Cercopithecus genus formed a separate cluster which included pata monkeys, supporting its grouping as a member of Cercopithecus. Surprisingly, sooty mangabeys were genetically more closely related to Asian macaques than to other African species, which might explain why macaques are more susceptible to infection by the SIVsm group than to infection by SIVagm or HIV-1 and why patas, on the other hand, are highly susceptible to SIVagm infection. Based on CD4 genetic data, tantalus, vervets, grivets, and sabaeus formed separate subgroups with BGM grouping closely with vervets. The branching order of the AGM species was related to that of their respective SIVagm env sequences. The study suggests a strong correlation between CD4 phylogeny and the susceptibility of the host species to infection by a specific lentivirus and supports the assumption of a coevolution of SIVagm and AGM. CD4 sequencing is suggested as a relevant method for genetic determination of primate species.

Reproduction of the owl monkey (Aotus spp.) in captivity

Abstract: The reproduction performance of captive owl monkeys, a breed used extensively in biomedical research, was observed at the Battelle Primate Facility (BPF). The colony grew through captive breeding, imports from the Peruvian Primatological Project, and others to a peak size of 730. It included seven karyotypes of Aotus sp. Results showed that owl monkeys can breed successfully in a laboratory in numbers sufficient to sustain modest research programs. Reproductive success increases when pairs are compatible, of the same karyotype, and stabilized; however, mated pairs of different karyotype are also productive. Under conditions of controlled lighting and heating, owl monkeys at BPF showed no birth peak nor birth season.

Quantification of behaviour in social colonies of rhesus monkey.

Abstract: It is necessary to use experimental animals with behavioural, physiological and disease susceptibility pattern similar to man so that the results have a clinical predictive value. For such studies the non-human primate is the animal of choice. Rhesus monkey is a good choice for this purpose but information about its behaviour is fragmentary. In order to obtain a quantitative baseline data for psychopharmacological studies, a protocol has been developed to score various social and solitary behaviours in adult male and female rhesus monkeys. The study was conducted on rhesus monkeys in a social colony of one male and seven female living in a semi-restricted environment. The behavioural patterns were quantitated so as to compare effect on various components of behaviour. Aggressiveness and vigilance were prominent in the male while social affiliative behaviour was dominant in the female. Other behavioural responses were of similar magnitude in both sexes. It is however necessary to have data with some standard CNS active agents on these behavioural protocol. Therefore, initially the behavioural effects of amphetamine and haloperidol were studied. Significant effects observed following d-amphetamine (1-4 mg/kg, im); it induced dose dependent suppression of social behaviour (approach, contact, grooming), feeding, hypervigilance, stereotypy and oral hyperkinesia. On the other hand haloperidol (0.01-0.04 mg/kg, im) produced decrease in social and solitary behaviour and marked cataleptic posture. It is possible to quantitate drug effects on various aspects of behaviour of the rhesus monkey and to develop neuropsychitric models with the help of this protocol for use in study of drug effects on behaviour.

Nitrergic Nerve Cells in the Primate Ciliary Muscle Are Only Present in Species with a Fovea centralis

Abstract: Nerve cells positive for NADPH diaphorase (D)/nitric oxide synthase in the human ciliary muscle appear to be involved in relaxation of the muscle during disaccommodation To study whether similar cells might mediate disaccommodation of the primate ciliary muscle in general, serial sections of the ciliary muscle of 5 cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) and 2 owl monkeys (Aotes trivirgatus) were stained for NADPH-D Both monkey species have a ciliary muscle system and an accommodative amplitude comparable to that in humans Positively stained cells were frequently observed in the ciliary muscle of all cynomolgus monkeys, a diurnal species with a fovea, but never in owl monkeys, a nocturnal species without a fovea The results indicate that NADPH-D-positive and probably nitrergic ganglion cells in the ciliary muscle are not present in all primate species, but only in those with high requirements for visual acuity They might smoothen the ciliary-ganglion-mediated contraction of the ciliary muscle or contribute to the small fluctuations or oscillations of accommodation that are observed under steady viewing conditions

Neuroethological studies of primate social perception

Abstract: The neuroethological basis of social signals was investigated using a multidisciplinary approach, involving connectional and comparative analysis of anatomical data, single cell recording and behavioural techniques. Previous literature implicates the amygdala, anterior temporal and prefrontal cortex in primate social functions. Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) and cluster analysis were used to analyse the connectional relatedness of macaque cortico-cortical and amygdalo-cortical connections. This objective analysis separated the amygdala nuclei into two groups, the basolateral (BL) and centromedial (CM) complexes. A comparative analysis was made of the possible functions of the amygdala nuclei by correlating amygdala nuclear volume with 5 socio-ecological indices, across 44 primate species. The lateral basal (LB) nucleus and BL size was found to correlate positively with social complexity. CM size correlated negatively. The LB nucleus receives information from the STS, which contains visual neurons responsive to eyes, heads and bodies. These cells were assessed for coding of socially relevant information. Single cell recording localised within the macaque superior temporal sulcus (STS) revealed neurons responsive to specific views, elevations and orientations of the head, eye position, and specific views of bodies walking in specific directions and reaching to objects. The tuning of these neurons could therefore support the function of recognition of another's purposive behaviour (e.g. direction of attention or intention). Visually responsive neurons in the STS also differentiated faces of different species (i.e. monkeys, humans and other animals). Behavioural studies suggest that monkeys do not follow the direction of attention of humans, yet monkeys appear to have the neural capacity. A behavioural study using video stimuli, revealed that monkeys spontaneously follow other monkeys' gaze onto an object or point in space. It is concluded that the amygdala and STS are part of a neural system which enable monkeys to interpret another's gaze and actions within a purposive behavioural framework.

MHC Class I Genes in Nonhuman Primates

Abstract: The primate order includes two suborders, the Prosimii and the Anthropoidea (Martin 1970) The Prosimii include tarsiers, lemurs and lorises whereas the Anthropoidea include two infraorders, Catarrhini and Platyrrhini Catarrhini are Old World primates (for example, rhesus monkeys), apes (chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans and gibbons) and humans The taxonomic status of the 16 genera that form the infraorder Platyrrhini (commonly known as the New World primates) has been controversial However, both morphological studies (Ford 1986; Kay 1990; Rosenberger 1984) and molecular data (Schneider et al 1993) agree on dividing the 16 extant platyrrhine genera into seven phyletic groups: Callitrichidae (tamarins and marmosets (Fig1); genera Callithrix, Cebuella, Leontopithecus, Saguinus and Callimico), Pithecinae (genera Pithecia, Chiropotes, and Cacajao),Atelinae (genera Lagothrix, Brachyteles, Ateles and Alouatta), genus Cebus, genus Saimiri (squirrel monkeys), genus Aotus (owl monkeys) and genus Callicebus

[Squirrel monkey--an ideal primate (correction of prmate) model of space physiology].

Abstract: Investigation of the vestibulo-ocular system of the squirrel monkey was reviewed in consideration of space motion sickness (SMS), or which is recently more often termed as space adaptation syndrome (SAS). Since the first launching of the space satellite, Sputnik [correction of Sputonik] in October 1957, many experiments were carried out in biological and medical fields. A various kind of creatures were used as experimental models from protozoa to human beings. Rats and monkeys are most favorite animals, particularly the non-human primate seems to be the one, because of its phylogenetic relatives akin to the human beings. Chimpanzees, rhesus monkeys, pig tailed-monkeys, red-faced monkeys and squirrel monkeys have been used mostly in American space experiments. Russian used rhesus monkeys. Among these, however, the squirrel monkey has an advantage of the small size of the body, ranging from 600- l000g in adult. This small size as a primate is very advantageous in experiments conducted in a narrow room of the space satellite or shuttle because of its space-saving. The squirrel monkey has another advantage to rear easily as is demonstrated to keep it as a pet. Accordingly, this petit animal provides us a good animal model in biological and medical experiments in space craft. The size of the brain of the squirrel monkey is extraordinary large relative to the body size, which is even superior to that of the human beings. This is partly owed to enlargement of the occipito-temporal cortices, which are forced to well develop for processing a huge amount of audio-visual information indispensable to the arboreal habitant to survive in tropical forest. The vestibular system of the squirrel monkey seems to be the most superior as well, when judged from it relative size of the vestibular nuclear complex. Balancing on swinging twigs or jumping from tree to tree developed the capability of this equilibrium system. Fernandez, Goldberg and his collaborators used the squirrel monkey to elucidate functions of the peripheral vestibular system. A transfer function was proposed to explain the behaviors of regular and irregular unit activity of vestibular nerve fibers. The physiologic characteristics of the second order vestibular neuron was investigated in combination of electrophysiological and micro-morphological way, with using WGA-HRP methods, in relation to somato-motor and eye movements. Interconnections between vestibular neurons and cerebellum, interstitial nucleus of Cajal, oculomotor nuclear complex, superior colliculus and cervical spinal cord were elucidated. In physiological field of the vestibular system, the vestibulo-ocular reflex is well studied and results obtained from the squirrel monkey experiments were reviewed. The squirrel monkey, particularly the Bolivian, is a unique animal in that it is vulnerable to motion sickness induced by visual-motion stimulation with phase mismatch of the two stimuli. Experimental results of labyrinthectomy or bilateral ablation of the maculae staticae led to the conclusion that both semicircular and otolith organs are involved in the genesis of space motion sickness. On the other hand, destruction of the area postrema, acknowledged as the vomiting center to chemical stimulants, produced controversial results. However, it must be pointed out that the a human subject underwent to resection of the area postrema, became insensitive to administration of apomorphine, a well known chemical stimulant of vomiting. Finally the experiments in space revealed the presence of at least two origins of caloric nystagmus, that is, attributable to convection and non-convection current of the endolymphatic fluid.

[Virus transmission in the tropical environment, the socio-ecology of primates and the balance of ecosystems].

Abstract: We studied the contribution of non human primates to the transmission of yellow fever and HIV in the wild. We demonstrate the consequences of the modification of ecosystems on the emergence of new viral diseases and the reappearance of diseases believed to be eradicated. In the primary forest, the natural yellow fever cycle is limited to monkeys and mosquitoes living high in the canopy. Transmission to man is an anomaly, requiring the circumstances found in the forest and savanna contact zones, where man has changed the forest to a mosaic and decimated the simian population, favoring contact between mosquitoes and man. In these contact zones, the amaril virus circulates in episodic cycles. During each episode, most of the local monkeys are infected, and thereby acquire immunity. Yellow fever can only reappear subsequently when a sufficiently large new generation of non-immune young monkeys is available. Monkeys do not become ill when infected, presumably as a result of typical host-parasite cross selection having led to the development of a balance between the parasite and its host. AIDS is a transmissible viral disease which appeared recently. Various African non-human primates are hosts to SIV, a retrovirus closely related to HIV which causes AIDS in man. SIV-infected African monkeys do not develop AIDS. However, when used to infect species from other continents (for example Asian macaco monkeys) SIV can cause AIDS. Does pathogenicity appear during transmission of the virus from one primate host to another, and is this the case for human AIDS? Experimental inoculations, the demonstration of SIVagm in other species, the mosaic structure of the genome (implying cross species recombinations), and the high probability of cross-species transmission of the viruses in the wild all favor this idea. Possibly counterbalancing the pessimism about the development of an HIV1 vaccine in the near future, the non-human SIV models holds out some hope. The emergence of new diseases, such as Ebola, or diseases from other niches, and the reappearance of diseases believed to be eradicated, are frequent when man modifies the ecosystem, the structure and balance of which he does not control, and when he puts into contact species which have never met before.

Infection of mosquitoes with primate malaria

Abstract: The primate malarias are those species of Plasmodium infectious to humans, apes, New World and Old World monkeys and lemurs The four human-infecting parasites, P falciparum, P vivax, P malariae and P ovale are also infectious to New World monkeys and chimpanzees The most studied monkey-infecting species, P knowlesi, P cynomolgi, P gonderi, P coatneyi, P fragile, P fieldi, P simiovale, P simium, P inui, and P brasilianum are infectious to either New World or Old World monkeys or both New species and strains of primate malaria parasites are periodically isolated and described The materials and methods presented here are those used under controlled conditions for the production of infected mosquitoes, parasites for infection and transmission studies, and the use of sporozoites from Plasmodium-infected mosquitoes to infect other hosts and cultures

Distribution of U5 antigen on lymphocyte subsets in human and nonhuman primates

Abstract: The U5 monoclonal antibody developed by immunizing mice with Japanese monkey lymphocytes could react with lymphocytes of primate species including Old World monkeys, apes, and human. However, the distributions of U5 antigen on major functional subsets of lymphocytes were different in primate species. The U5 antigen was mainly distributed on natural killer (NK) cells in human, but on B cells in Old World monkeys. On the other hand, U5 antigen was detected on both B and NK cells in chimpanzees and gibbons, indicating that the distribution of U5 antigen on lymphocyte might change from B cells to NK cells during primate evolution.

Ecological Aspects Of The Dispersal Of A Melastomataceae By Marmosets And Howler Monkeys (primates: Platyrrhini) In A Semideciduous Forest Of Southeastern Brazil

Abstract: Forest fragments generally show lower biodiversity than preserved areas, but sorne primate species seem to be apt to live in such small remnants (Lovejoy et al. , 1 986; Schwarzkopf & Rylands, 1 9 89). Diet and feeding behavior of neotropical primates have been studied (Guillotin et al. , 1 994; Julliot, 1 994), but their role in tropical ecosystems is not completely understood (Heymann, 1 993). In the Old World, monkeys consume fruits brightly colored, with succulent pulp and are potential dispersers of the seeds (Hladik & Hladik, 1967 ; Gautier-Hion et al., 1 985). Neotropical primate species are also capable to disseminate severa] plant species in the rainforest since seeds pass undamaged through their digestive tracts (Hladik & Hladik, 1 969; Chapman, 1 989; Julliot, 1 994). The faunae surviving in semideciduous forest fragments of southeastem Brazil, as well as the ecological relationships between primates and plant species in these areas, are poorly known (see Morellato & Leitao-Filho, 1 995). Figueiredo ( 1 993, 1 994) found Howlers as inadequate dispersers of Ficus spp. seeds, and sorne studies proposed that small seeded plants are dispersed mainly by small monkeys, like Marmosets, while large seeded plants by Howler monkeys (Galetti & Pedroni, 1 994; Galetti et al. , 1 994). This study verifies the dispersal quality of Howlers and Marmosets on the small seeds of a Melastomataceae.

SHORT COMMUNICATION Spatial View Cells in the Primate Hippocampus

Abstract: Hippocampal function was analysed by making recordings in rhesus monkeys actively walking in the laboratory. In a sample of 352 cells recorded in the hippocampus and parahippocampal cortex, a population of ‘spatial view’ cells was found to respond when the monkey looked at a part of the environment. The responses of these hippocampal neurons (i) occur to a view of space ‘out there’, not to the place where the monkey is, (ii) depend on where the monkey is looking, as shown by measuring eye position, (iii) do not encode head direction, and (iv) provide a spatial representation that is allocentric, i.e. in world coordinates. This representation of space ‘out there’ would be an appropriate part of a primate memory system involved in memories of where in an environment an object was seen, and more generally in the memory of particular events or episodes, for which a spatial component normally provides part of the context.