Laboratory Management - Chlorocebus

Question 1

What natural behavior should be considered when housing Chlorocebus? What size of groups are recommended, and why? Does pair housing work? What are disadvantages of pair housing?

Answer 1

Territoriality. Aggressiveness and fighting in harem groups with a single male and many females. Larger harem groups (5-10 females) have more agnostic behavior than smaller groups (2-6 females). Pair housing leads to fewer conflicts and trauma, but lacks juvenile interaction with other juveniles which plays an important role in social development.

Question 2

How should pregnant females be housed?

Answer 2

Removed from social group and not returned until 2 weeks after they have given birth. Results in highest infant survival rates.

Question 3

What is the diet of chlorocebus? What physical signs may appear when food availability is limited?

Answer 3

Omnivorous. Prefer fruits and flowers. Visible signs of stress with food restriction, including alopecia and skin hyperpigmentation.

Question 4

Where are large colonies of Chlorocebus located in the US?

Answer 4

St. Kitts and Nevis islands populated the research colonies at the New Iberia Research Center in LA and the Vervet Research Colony in Wake Forest.

Question 5

What are the research uses of Chlorocebus?

Answer 5

African trypanosomiasis, vaccinology, HIV/AIDs, hypertension, neurological disease, psychology and social behavior, atherosclerosis and metabolic syndrome, leishmania

Question 6

What cell line was derived from what tissue of Chlorocebus?

Answer 6

Vero cells from the kidney epithelium