Abstract
BackgroundEchocardiography is the most frequently used non -invasive diagnostic tool to evaluate cardiac anatomy and function in domestic species but increasingly also in non -domestic species, especially since cardiac disease is being recognized as an important cause of death in captive primates. The purpose of this cross -sectional study was to investigate the feasibility of transthoracic echocardiography in healthy squirrel monkeys as well as to provide species specific normal values for standard echocardiographic measurements. A secondary aim was to determine plasma and serum levels of the cardiac biomarkers, N -terminal pro -brain natriuretic peptide (NT -proBNP) and cardiac troponin T (cTnT). Furthermore, a commercial, non -invasive, smartphone -based ECG (AliveCor Vet TM) monitoring device was used to evaluate the heart rate and rhythm and to diagnose possible arrhythmias.ResultsIn this study, transthoracic echocardiography of 14 squirrel monkeys was performed in right and left lateral recumbency. Similar standard right parasternal and left apical images were obtained as in dogs and cats and normal values for routine two -dimensional, time motion mode and Doppler mode measurements were generated. Thirteen animals were considered healthy and one squirrel monkey was identified with significant aortic dilation and regurgitation and consequently values obtained from this animal were not used when species specific normal values were calculated. NT -ProBNP and cTnT concentrations were available for 7 of the 13 healthy monkeys with NT -proBNP concentrations below detection limit in all animals and a mean cTnT concentration of 0.049 ng/mL. Electrocardiography was performed in all squirrel monkeys. The mean heart rate was 172 bpm. Frequent supraventricular premature beats were diagnosed in the squirrel monkey suffering from significant aortic dilation and regurgitation.ConclusionThis study presents echocardiographic normal values and additional cardiovascular data in anaesthetised Saimiri monkeys, fundamental from both the perspective of zoo animal health care as well as scientific research, since the squirrel monkey is often used as an animal model for human disease.
Highlights
Echocardiography is the most frequently used non -invasive diagnostic tool to evaluate cardiac anatomy and function in domestic species but increasingly in non -domestic species, especially since cardiac disease is being recognized as an important cause of death in captive primates
One Saimiri boliviensis peruviensis presented with a significant abnormality on echocardiography and arrhythmia on electrocardiography and was excluded from the study
Multiple studies have described an influence of different anaesthetic protocols on echocardiography in several species, including a significant decrease of Left ventricular internal dimension at end -diastole (LVIDd), Interventricular septal thickness at end -systole (IVSs) and Fractional shortening (FS) in dogs anaesthetized with isoflurane [41,42,43,44,45,46]
Summary
Echocardiography is the most frequently used non -invasive diagnostic tool to evaluate cardiac anatomy and function in domestic species but increasingly in non -domestic species, especially since cardiac disease is being recognized as an important cause of death in captive primates. Vital information for both wildlife conservation, zoological management and future biomedical research is still lacking, indicating the importance of additional studies in order to better understand the biology and morphology of the squirrel monkey Several studies in both human and nonhuman primates have identified cardiovascular disease as a major cause of death with mortality rates ranging from 41% in gorillas to approximately 81% in chimpanzees (Meehan and Lowenstine, 1994 [12,13,14,15];). Only few echocardiographic parameters have been described earlier and an echocardiographic protocol is currently lacking in the squirrel monkey
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