Effects of Pair Housing on Behavior, Cortisol, and Clinical Outcomes during Quarantine-like Procedures for Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta)

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Martina N. Jackson, Emory University; Melissa A. Truelove, Emory University; Kimberly Williams, Emory University; Jiandong Chen, Emory University; Reneé H. Moore, Emory University; Jennifer S. Wood, Emory University; Joyce K. Cohen, Emory University; Mollie Bloomsmith, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2023-02-06
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © 2023 The Authors. Journal of Medical Primatology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
• Final Published Version (URL): https://doi.org/10.1111/jmp.12635
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Journal of Medical Primatology
• Volume: 52
• Issue: 2
• Start Page: 108
• End Page: 120
• Grant/Funding Agency: National Institutes of Health; Research Facilities Improvement Program
• Grant/Funding Information: This research was conducted at the Emory National Primate Research Center, which is supported by the National Institutes of Health, Office of Research Infrastructure Programs/OD [P51OD011132].​ Research in this publication was supported in part by the Office of The Director, National Institutes of Health under Award Number P51OD011106 to the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison. The research was conducted in part at a facility constructed with support from Research Facilities Improvement Program grant numbers RR15459–01 and RR020141–1.
• Keywords: diarrhea; welfare; transfer; abnormal behavior; fecal metabolites; stress; social housing; quarantine
• Subject - Topics: Rhesus monkey; Social behavior in animals; Animal welfare

Abstract

Background: Compatible pair housing of macaques in research settings increases species-typical behaviors and facilitates beneficial social buffering. It is not yet established whether these benefits are maintained after intrafacility transfer and domestic quarantine, which are two stressors that can lead to behavioral and clinical abnormalities. Methods: We evaluated 40 adolescent male rhesus macaques who were single- or pair-housed immediately following an intrafacility transfer. We measured behavior, fecal cortisol, body weight, and diarrhea occurrence. Body weight and diarrhea occurrence were also retrospectively analyzed in an additional 120 adolescent rhesus who underwent a similar transfer. Results and Conclusions: Pair-housed macaques exhibited less of some undesirable behaviors (e.g., self-clasping) and experienced less diarrhea than single-housed subjects; however, no significant differences in cortisol levels or alopecia measures were found. The demonstrated beneficial effects of pair housing for rhesus macaques following intrafacility transfer and adjustment suggest pairing upon arrival at a new facility will bolster animal welfare.