[in Japanese]

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In non-human primates, Captive breeding is important for ex situ conservation of endangered species and maintain captive populations. On the other hand, limited space and pedigree management often necessitate the suppression of breeding. In zoos, sex separation in captivity and surgical castration/contraception have been performed. However, in primates, separating and keeping the animals in same-sex groups can lead to aggression issue due to space limitation. Furthermore, if an animal is kept alone for sex separation, it can be stressful for the animal. On the other hand, surgical contraception is highly invasive and irreversible, which may be problematic in terms of animal welfare. Therefore, synthetic progestin has been used in females as a reversible contraception to mimic pregnancy, but alternative contraception methods are essential due to discontinuation of popular progestin implants in the Japanese market and the risk of side effects caused by long-term progesterone exposure. Reproductive and aggression suppression by controlling gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) has been conducted in zoos and aquariums overseas. However, the appropriate usage/dosage foreach species is still unknown. To verify the effects of GnRH control on reproduction and aggression suppression, GnRH vaccine and GnRH agonist are used, and the usage/dosage and their efficacy for each species are evaluated. Moreover, establishing a database contraception by GnRH control is now being promoted through collaboration with several facilities.

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In recent years, biomedical and life science research using the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus ) has increased. However, the husbandry of these small non-human primates is not yet fully established, and various problems can arise in the captive settings. In this paper, I would like to present some of the cases, in which I have noticed, worried about, and tried to solve these problems while caring for common marmosets as laboratory animals, resulting in publications, presentations at academic conferences, and the acquisitions of research grants. All these activities have been carried out with the single-minded desire to improve the quality of life (QOL) of captive common marmosets. As examples how my day-to-day husbandry work has led to the research activities, I hope readers will find them useful.

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Primates are kept in zoos throughout Japan, and are also kept as laboratory animals in various research institutes. Like other animals, primates suffer from various diseases. However, there is not much information on the treatment of diseases and clinical examination, and there are not many reference books. In addition, primates need to be treated with consideration for zoonotic diseases, and even for general examinations, there are cases where anesthesia is required and other precautions must be taken. Without experience, some diseases may be overlooked or responded to late because of hesitation. In this article, I would like to discuss the clinical care of primates from the viewpoints of "Diseases in primates," "Health checkup," "Team medicine," and "Clinical practice and research" based on my clinical experience at the Center for the Evolutionary Origins of Human Behavior, Kyoto University, for about 20 years. I hope this article will be of some help to your clinical and research activities on primates.

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The large Japanese field mouse (Apodemus speciosus ) is a seasonal breeder, and its spermatogenic activity changes throughout the year. In some mammal species, testicular regression results from increased apoptosis of the male germ cell. However, no study has investigated the association between apoptosis and temporal testicular regression using closely classified spermatogenic phases in seasonal breeders. Using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling staining, we immunohistochemically investigated male germ cell apoptosis and its relation to temporal testicular regulation and circannual cycles of activation and regression in this species. Furthermore, we classified spermatogenic activity into 9 phases (pre-increase, early-increasing, mid-increasing, late-increasing, peak, early-decreasing, mid-decreasing, late-decreasing, and post-decreasing) using testicular weight and the histological observation of spermatogenesis, and investigated the morphological temporal changes of seminiferous tubules and epididymides. Germ cell apoptosis occurred at low levels around the peak phase, but was observed at high rates during the pre-increase, mid to late-decreasing, and post-decreasing phases. It should be noted that relatively many apoptotic cells were observed even in the early to mid-increasing phases. The primary type of apoptotic germ cell observed during all phases (except the mid-decreasing phase) was the spermatocyte. It is considered that apoptosis would be the main cause of cell loss, and live cell desquamation would accelerate testicular regression. The histological description of seminiferous tubules and epididymides will support future testicular histological evaluations of A. speciosus and provide guidelines for comparison with other species.

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[in Japanese]

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Two female parasitic nematode specimens with well-developed buccal capsules were obtained from the stomachs of two larger Japanese mole (Mogera wogura ) carcasses found in Mie and Gifu Prefectures, Japan in July 2016 and May 2020, respectively. These nematodes were found to belong to the genus Soboliphyme , which had not previously been obtained from Japanese talpine moles (genera Mogera and Oreoscaptor ). Measurements of the present specimens were generally comparable to those of S. urotrichi , which has been found only in the larger Japanese shrew mole (Urotrichus talpoides ). However, we were only able to assign the present specimens to genus Soboliphyme , because there was no male specimen

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Ochetosoma kansense is a trematode parasite introduced from North America to Japan. We report the transportation of the trematodes from Kinki region to Ishikawa Prefecture with the host snake, Elaphe quadrivirgata . As infection has yet to be recorded in Ishikawa Prefecture, if the infected snake is accidentally released to natural fields, the infected trematodes may be a new infection source for wild snakes in the area.

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The black macaque (Macaca nigra ) is a threatened macaque monkey species found in Indonesia. We present a case of a 14-year-old male black macaque that presented with symptoms of increased water intake, vision impairment, and emaciation. Examinations found high blood/urine glucose levels, and the patient was diagnosed with diabetes mellitus (DM). Long-acting insulin and glargine administration improved blood chemistry parameters and nutritional status. There was moderate correlation coefficient between glycoalbumin (GA) and average blood glucose levels. The administration of glargine and evaluation of GA levels can be used for the management of DM in macaque monkeys.

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