Congenital anomalies in the baboon (Papio spp.)

Primates and disability: Behavioral flexibility and implications for resilience to environmental change

Congenital malformations, conditions, injuries, and illness can lead to long-term physical impairment and disability in nonhuman primates. How individual primates change their behaviors flexibly to compensate for their disabilities can inform our understanding of their resilience and ability to adjust to environmental change. Here, we synthesize the literature on nonhuman primates and disability, addressing the questions: how does disability influence behavior in primates? What insights can we take from the literature to better understand and predict the capacity of primates to modify their behaviors in the face of human-induced environmental change? We conducted a systematic review of the literature on spontaneous physical impairment and disability in captive, free-ranging, and wild primates. We surveyed 2807 articles on Web of Science and Scopus and identified 114 studies that fit our predetermined inclusion criteria. Behavioral plasticity, maternal and conspecific care, and the potential for innovation of novel behaviors allow many primates with disabilities to compensate when faced with challenges that are outside the scope of usual circumstances. We also found that 60% of the publications connected primate physical impairment and disability to human activities, suggesting an entangled relationship among humans, the environment, and primate disability. Disability and physical impairments provide an opportunity to examine how primates modify their behavior when presented with challenging conditions, and their potential resilience to a changing environment.

Anencephaly and Severe Myelodysplasia in a Stillborn Brown Bear (Ursus arctos arctos)

Simple Summary

A captive twenty-four-year-old female Eurasian brown bear (Ursus arctos arctos) gave birth to a stillborn cub at the end of gestation. Several malformations resulting from the anomalous development of the neural tube, not previously reported in bears, were observed in the cub. These included anencephaly, hypoplasia, micromyelia, severe myelodysplasia, syringomyelia, and spina bifida. The aetiology remains unidentified.

Abstract

Malformations in the development of the neural tube have been described to be associated with different aetiologies, such as genetic factors, toxic plants, chemical products, viral agents, or hyperthermia. A twenty-four-year-old female Eurasian brown bear (Ursus arctos arctos), permanently in captivity and kept under food and management control, gave birth to a stillborn cub at the end of gestation. Several malformations resulting from the anomalous development of the neural tube, not previously reported in bears, were observed, such as anencephaly, hypoplasia, micromyelia, severe myelodysplasia, syringomyelia, and spina bifida. Multiple canal defects (e.g., absence) were also observed in the spinal cord. In some regions, the intradural nerve roots surrounded the spinal cord in a diffuse and continuous way. The aetiology remains unidentified, although the advanced age of the mother and/or folic acid deficit might have been the possible causes of this disorder. Supplements of folate given to the mother before and during early pregnancy may have reduced the incidence of neural tube defects. That supplementation should be considered when the reproduction of bears is to occur in captivity, in order to prevent the loss of future generations of this endangered species.

Facial malformations, including cleft lip and palate, in wild primates in Paraguay

Nine individual Alouatta caraya and Sapajus cay displaying facial malformations were observed across three sites in Paraguay. Six had cleft lip (with or without cleft palate), and three had malformations of the lower lip. This is the first record of cleft lip and/or palate in the genus Alouatta.

Facial dysplasia in wild forest olive baboons (Papio anubis) in Sebitoli, Kibale National Park, Uganda: Use of camera traps to detect health defects

BACKGROUND

Primate populations are in decline, mainly affected by agriculture leading to habitat loss, fragmentation but also chemical pollution. Kibale National Park (Uganda), Sebitoli forest, surrounded by tea and crop fields, is the home range of chimpanzees presenting congenital facial dysplasia. This study aimed to identify to what extent the same phenotypical features are observed in baboons (Papio anubis) of this area.

METHODS

A total of 25 390 clips recorded by 14 camera traps between January 2017 and April 2018 were analyzed.

RESULTS

We identified 30 immature and adult baboons of both sexes with nose and lip deformities. They were more frequently observed in the northwestern part of the area.

CONCLUSIONS

A possible effect of pesticides used in crops at the border of their habitat is suspected to alter the embryonic development. This study emphasizes the importance of non-invasive methods to detect health problems in wild primates that can act as sentinels for human health.

Two Cases of Cleft Lip and Other Congenital Anomalies in Wild Chimpanzees Living in Kibale National Park, Uganda

Design

Observations of wild chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) were conducted in Kibale National Park, Uganda, at the sites of Sebitoli and Ngogo.

Results

We report the first two cases of cleft lip in wild chimpanzees. Additionally, some other chimpanzees in the Sebitoli community show facial dysplasia and congenital anomalies, such as patches of depigmented hairs and limb defects.

Conclusions

Cleft lip has been documented in several species of nonhuman primates, but much remains unknown about the occurrence of cleft lip and cleft palate in great apes, probably because such malformations are rare, wild apes are difficult to monitor and observe, and severe cases associated with cleft palates render suckling impossible and lead to early death of infants. The genetic basis of such defects in great apes warrants investigation, as does the possibility that environmental toxins contribute to their etiology in Kibale in ways that could affect humans as well.

[Prevalence of birth defects in Risaralda, 2010-2013]

INTRODUCTION

The data regarding birth defects at local levels in developing countries like Colombia are scarce.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the profile of congenital abnormalities in the province of Risaralda, Colombia.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We included the information on infants with structural and functional abnormalities at birth between June, 2010, and December, 2013, from records of the Instituto Nacional de Salud, and compared it with those of children born in the same period in a local clinic participating in the Collaborative Study of Congenital Malformations. We analyzed the data using Stata 10®.

RESULTS

We found a prevalence of nine defects per 1,000 newborns from the total live births in Risaralda. The local clinic registered in the Collaborative Study of Congenital Malformations registered a prevalence of 34 defects per 1,000 births. Most frequent defects were heart defects, followed by cleft lip and palate, abdominal wall defects, skeletal dysplasia, hydrocephalus, polydactyly and Down syndrome.

CONCLUSIONS

Having a baseline on the prevalence of congenital defects in Risaralda is very useful in the design of prevention policies oriented to decrease congenital defects incidence and severity. Inclusion of maternity hospitals in the Collaborative Study of Congenital Malformations strengthens national recording and reporting of birth defects.

Relationship Between Epilepsy and Colpocephaly in Baboons (Papio hamadryas)

Brain MRI scans revealed various occipital horn variants in a pedigreed baboon colony consisting of Papio hamadryas anubis and its hybrids. We retrospectively characterized these variants and evaluated their relationships to epilepsy phenotypes and scalp EEG findings. MRI scans (3D, T1-weighted) from 208 baboons (female, 134 female; male, 74; age [mean ± 1 SD], 16 ± 5 y) were reviewed; 139 (67%) of these animals also underwent scalp EEG previously. Occipital horn variants included elongation (extension of the occipital ventricle behind the mediobasal origin of the calcarine fissure), which affected 23 baboons (11%; 7 bilateral, 9 left, 7 right), and elongation with enlargement (colpocephaly), which occurred in 30 baboons (14%; 7 bilateral, 11 left, 12 right). The incidence of the occipital horn variants did not differ according to age or prenatal or perinatal history. Colpocephaly was associated with craniofacial trauma but not with witnessed seizures. Abnormal scalp EEG findings, including interictal epileptic discharges, did not differ significantly among the occipital horn morphologies. This study is the first radiologic description of occipital horn variants, particularly colpocephaly, in baboons. Whereas colpocephaly is frequently associated with other radiologic and neurologic abnormalities in humans, it is mostly an isolated finding in baboons. Because craniofacial trauma can occur in the setting of seizure-related falls, its increased association with colpocephaly may reflect an increased risk of seizures or of traumatic brain injuries due to seizures. Colpocephaly in baboons needs to be characterized prospectively radiologically, neurologically, histopathologically, and genetically to better understand its etiology and clinical significance.

Mortality in captive baboons (Papio spp.): a-23-year study

BACKGROUND

We report the causes of mortality for 4350 captive baboons that died or were euthanized due to natural causes during a 23 year period at the Southwest National Primate Research Center.

METHODS

Necropsy records were retrieved and reviewed to determine a primary cause of death or indication for euthanasia. Data was evaluated for morphological diagnosis, organ system, and etiology.

RESULTS

The 20 most common morphologic diagnoses accounted for 76% of the cases, including stillborn (10.8%); colitis (8.6%); hemorrhage (8.4%); ulcer (5.2%); seizures (4.7%); pneumonia (4.2%); inanition (4.1%); dermatitis (3.8%); spondylosis (3.3%); and amyloidosis (3.0%). The digestive system was most frequently involved (21.3%), followed by the urogenital (20.3%), cardiovascular (12.2%), and multisystem disease (10.3%). An etiology was not identified in approximately one-third of cases. The most common etiologies were trauma (14.8%), degenerative (9.5%), viral (8.7%), and neoplastic/proliferative (7.0%).

CONCLUSION

This information should be useful for individuals working with baboons.

Epidemiology and characterization of seizures in a pedigreed baboon colony

This study evaluated the incidence, prevalence, and clinical features of seizures in a pedigreed captive colony of baboons. The association of seizures with subspecies, age, sex, and various clinical features was assessed. Records for 1527 captive, pedigreed baboons were reviewed, and 3389 events were identified in 1098 baboons. Of these events, 1537 (45%) represented witnessed seizures, whereas the remaining 1852 presented with craniofacial trauma or episodic changes in behavior that were suggestive, but not diagnostic, of seizure activity. Seizures were generalized myoclonic or tonic-clonic, with two thirds of the events witnessed in the morning. Seizure onset occurred in adolescence (age, 5 y), with an average of 3 seizures in a lifetime. The incidence and prevalence of seizures were 2.5% and 26%, respectively, whereas the prevalence of recurrent seizures (that is, epilepsy) was 15%. Seizures were more prevalent in male baboons, which tended to present with earlier onset and more seizures over a lifetime than did female baboons. Seizures were equally distributed between the subspecies; age of onset and seizure recurrences did not differ significantly between subspecies. Clinical features including age of onset, characteristics, and diurnal presentation of seizures in baboons suggested similarities to juvenile myoclonic epilepsy in humans. Facial trauma may be useful marker for epilepsy in baboons, but its specificity should be characterized.