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. 1974 Feb;16(2):267–277.

Immunological competence in non-human primates: differences observed in four species

J S Harvey, P J Felsburg, R L Heberling, W T Kniker, S S Kalter
PMCID: PMC1553935  PMID: 4219764

Abstract

Previous studies have shown that the baboon and squirrel monkey are resistant to certain herpesviruses that cause serious infection or induce tumours in the cebus monkey and marmoset. This study was undertaken to evaluate the immunological competence of the four species of nonhuman primates. A variety of clinical immunological techniques were employed to evaluate the bursal, thymicdependent and phagocytic systems of immunity in these species. No primate was found to demonstrate immune competence of the same magnitude observed in normal humans.

The baboon manifested immune responsiveness most closely resembling that of man. These animals displayed no abnormalities in circulating white blood cell populations, ability to form antibody, delayed skin response to mitogens or lymphocyte transformation in vitro. Rebuck skin window (RSW) findings closely resembled those observed in humans. While the squirrel monkey also appeared to be relatively competent, antibody formation, skin test reactivity and RSW responses were slightly less than those observed in the baboon. Cebus monkeys showed several abnormalities which included significant leukopenia, very low serum alpha-1 globulin levels, cutaneous anergy and a poor RSW response. The most marked abnormalities were found in the marmosets that had persistent leucocytosis, absent to poor antibody responses to immunogens, weak responses to phytohaemagglutinin in vivo and in vitro, with a uniquely greater response to pokeweed mitogen in vitro. The poor RSW response was similar to that observed in the squirrel monkey and cebus. While these studies suggest that baboons and squirrel monkeys are relatively intact immunologically, the marmoset and cebus monkey species appear to have significant manifestations of immunological incompetence in association with susceptibility to a variety of infectious and oncogenic agents.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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