Abstract
Data on spontaneous pathology are substantially scarce for common marmosets, compared to other laboratory animals, but is essential for the interpretation of histological findings in the context of toxicological and experimental studies. Especially if common marmosets are used as experimental animals in respiratory research, detailed knowledge on the spectrum, occurrence, and incidence of spontaneous histopathological pulmonary lesions in this non-human primate species is required. In this study, lung tissue of 638 common marmosets from the marmoset colony of the German Primate Center was examined histologically. The analysis revealed a high incidence of predominantly mild and multifocal interstitial pneumonia (32.99 %) of unknown etiology in most cases. Only few marmosets exhibited lobar pneumonia (1.41 %) and bronchopneumonia (0.94), which were mainly caused by bacterial pathogens such as Bordetella bronchiseptica and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Lung immaturity and atelectasis were common histological findings in newborn marmosets. Typical background lesions included anthracosis (8.15 %), hemosiderosis (1.72 %), extramedullary hematopoiesis (11.6 %), mineralization (10.97 %), and inflammatory cell foci (10.34 %). In addition, three cases of pulmonary arteriopathy (0.47 %) and 1 case of foreign-body granuloma (0.16 %) were detected in the marmoset study cohort. The high prevalence of circulatory disturbances (congestion, edema, hemorrhage) and changes in air content (secondary atelectasis, alveolar emphysema) could partly be explained by euthanasia-related artifacts or agonal changes. The present study provides a comprehensive overview of the range and incidence of spontaneous pulmonary histopathology in common marmosets, serving as valuable reference data for the interpretation of lung lesions in toxicological and experimental marmoset studies.
Highlights
The present study provides a comprehensive overview of the range and incidence of spontaneous pulmonary histopathology in common marmosets, serving as valuable reference data for the interpretation of lung lesions in toxicological and experimental marmoset studies
The most commonly observed inflammatory lung condition was constituted by interstitial pneumonia, which was observed in 206 marmosets (32.29 %)
The etiopathogenesis of interstitial pneumonia generally includes aerogenous damage to the alveolar epithelium or hematogenous injury to the alveolar capillary endothelium or basement membrane (López, 2007)
Summary
As a non-rodent species, the common marmoset is used in preclinical testing of drugs acting on the respiratory system and is a suitable animal model for various human pulmonary diseases, including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD; Seehase et al, 2012; Curths et al, 2013, 2014). Compared to other laboratory animals, spontaneous pathology of common marmosets is less well defined. David et al (2009) performed a retrospective study on the spontaneous pathology of common marmosets including the morphological diagnoses of pneumonia, atelectasis, pulmonary extramedullary hematopoiesis, and lymphosarcoma in the lungs. A detailed survey about the range and incidence of lung pathology in common marmosets does not exist in the literature so far
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
