Abstract
The increasing use of the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) in research makes it important to diagnose spontaneous disease that may confound experimental studies. Bone disease and gastrointestinal disease are two major causes of morbidity and mortality in captive marmosets, but currently no effective antemortem tests are available to identify affected animals prior to the terminal stage of disease. In this study we propose that bone disease and gastrointestinal disease are associated disease entities in marmosets and aim to establish the efficacy of several economical antemortem tests in identifying and predicting disease. Tissues from marmosets were examined to define affected animals and unaffected controls. Complete blood count, serum chemistry values, body weight, quantitative radiographs, and tissue-specific biochemical markers were evaluated as candidate biomarkers for disease. Bone and gastrointestinal disease were associated, with marmosets being over seven times more likely to have either concurrent bone and gastrointestinal disease or neither disease as opposed to lesions in only one organ system. When used in tandem, serum albumin <3.5 g/dL and body weight <325 g identified 100% of the marmosets affected with concurrent bone and gastrointestinal disease. Progressive body weight loss of 0.05% of peak body weight per day predicted which marmosets would develop disease prior to the terminal stage. Bone tissue-specific tests, such as quantitative analysis of radiographs and serum parathyroid hormone levels, were effective for distinguishing between marmosets with bone disease and those without. These results provide an avenue for making informed decisions regarding the removal of affected marmosets from studies in a timely manner, preserving the integrity of research results.
Highlights
The common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) is a non-endangered member of the New World nonhuman primate (NHP) family Callitrichidae native to northern and eastern Brazil
Bone disease and GI disease are associated in marmosets Both bone disease and GI disease are common causes of morbidity and mortality in captive marmoset colonies, and we sought to elucidate whether diseases in these two organ systems were associated
Bone disease and GI disease are two conditions with unknown causes commonly found in captive marmosets, and in the present study we demonstrate that bone and GI disease are associated
Summary
The common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) is a non-endangered member of the New World nonhuman primate (NHP) family Callitrichidae native to northern and eastern Brazil. Marmosets have become increasingly popular as research models over the last few decades, with the number of publications rising forty-fold from the 1970’s to the 1990’s [3]. They are the most common NHPs used in research in Europe [4], and their experimental use has been steadily increasing in North America since 1990 [3]. The frequent use of marmosets in research has resulted in the common marmoset being the fourth NHP (after the chimpanzee, macaque, and orangutan) and the first New World monkey to be selected for complete genome sequencing [5]. A thorough understanding of the normative care and biology of marmosets, including spontaneous diseases, is of great importance for obtaining and developing the highest standards of care for animals in captive colonies and preserving the health of these valuable models of human disease
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