Monkeys in measles research.

Abstract

The identification of measles virus (MV) as the causative agent of measles was first described in 1911, when filtered respiratory tract secretions of measles patients were inoculated into macaque monkeys causing measles-like symptoms in these animals (Goldberger and Anderson 1911). It was not until 1954 that the virus could be isolated and adapted to growth in vitro in several cell lines of primate and nonprimate origin (Enders and Peebles 1954; Ruckle and Rogers 1957; Katz et al. 1958; Enders 1962). This provided the basis for extensive biological research on the pathogenicity of MV and led to diagnostic methods for measles and eventually to the development of measles vaccines (Katz and Enders 1959; Enders et al. 1960; Katz 1965). Apart from humans, nonhuman primates proved susceptible animal species for MV infection, either by contracting the infection from humans during captivity or by experimental infection with different clinical specimens. Although marmosets, macaques and several other monkey species have been used in studies concerning the host range and the virulence of different strains of MV, macaque species have been studied most extensively. It has been shown that the pathogenesis of MV infection in macaques is similar to that of measles in humans.