HUSBANDRY AND MANAGEMENT

PROJECT SUMMARY - CORE 001 HUSBANDRY AND MANAGEMENT Maintenance of a non-human primate specific pathogen free (SPF) breeding colony requires several factors to ensure the animals’ physical and behavioral health, breeding production, genetic diversity, and exclusion of specified pathogens. The pigtailed macaque, M. nemestrina, exhibits certain physical and behavioral characteristics that pose additional challenges in colony maintenance. M. nemestrina show greater susceptibility to the pathogenic effects of many microorganisms. Their susceptibility to lentiviruses makes them valuable animal models for HIV/AIDS research. However, nonhuman primates (NHP) in standard outdoor breeding colonies are exposed to environmental pathogens, such as Coccidioides posadasii, and M. nemestrina demonstrate enhanced susceptibility to disease with such exposure. Care must also be taken to prevent M. nemestrina infants from hypothermia. In contrast to rhesus macaques (M. mulatta) which exhibit seasonal breeding, infant M. nemestrina are born year-round and must be maintained in a heated environment when outdoor temperatures are low. Breeding management also differs between M. mulatta and M. nemestrina. M. mulatta can be bred in large multi-male, multi-female groups in large corrals with minimal infrastructure. In contrast, M. nemestrina form single male multi-female fission/fusion groups in the wild and attempts to form multi-male groups result in significant trauma. Even with stable, single-male breeding groups, productivity is lower for M. nemestrina than for M. mulatta. The Washington National Primate Research Center (WaNPRC) has over 50 years of breeding experience with M. nemestrina and has the expertise and resources to meet the challenges breeding this species of macaque presents. With support from this U42 cooperative agreement, we will maintain and enhance production of a healthy SPF M. nemestrina colony, including maintaining the animals free of B virus, SIV, SRV, and STLV, along with control of environmental organisms, such as C. posadasii. We will continue to meet the needs of HIV/AIDS investigators by providing SPF M. nemestrina to investigators in accordance with NIH-directed priorities.