Current treatment options for murine fur mites have limitations in safety and efficacy. This study evaluated whether topical lime sulfur (LS) is an adjunct or alternative to traditional treatment options for Myocoptes musculinus. To evaluate the safety of topical LS, mice were dipped in a 3% LS solution at 34 and 41 d of age. Mice were observed daily for side effects and mortality, with blood work and necropsy at 42 d of age to evaluate for pathologic changes. To determine the efficacy of topical LS, postweanling mice infested with M. musculinus were treated with LS once weekly for 2 wk and then housed with uninfested sentinel mice for 4 wk. Weekly tape tests and postmortem tape tests and skin scrapings were performed on all mice. Treated postweanling mice had significantly lower Hgb levels and higher BUN levels than did control animals. In mite-infested mice, the number of positive cages at euthanasia was the same between treated and control animals. Although topical LS did not cause gross or microscopic changes to organ systems, it may cause clinicopathologic changes, and topical LS is not effective as a sole treatment for M. musculinus infestation of postweanling mice.

Obesity results from a number of factors including socio-environmental influences and rodent models show that several different stressors increase the preference for calorically dense foods leading to an obese phenotype. We present here a non-human primate model using socially housed adult female macaques living in long-term stable groups given access to diets of different caloric density. Consumption of a low fat (LFD; 15% of calories from fat) and a high fat diet (HFD; 45% of calories from fat) was quantified by means of a custom-built, automated feeder that dispensed a pellet of food when activated by a radiofrequency chip implanted subcutaneously in the animal’s wrist. Socially subordinate females showed indices of chronic psychological stress having reduced glucocorticoid negative feedback and higher frequencies of anxiety-like behavior. Twenty-four hour intakes of both the LFD and HFD were significantly greater in subordinates than dominates, an effect that persisted whether standard monkey chow (13% of calories from fat) was present or absent. Furthermore, although dominants restricted their food intake to daylight, subordinates continued to feed at night. Total caloric intake was significantly correlated with body weight change. Collectively, these results show that food intake can be reliably quantified in non-human primates living in complex social environments and suggest that socially-subordinate females consume more calories, suggesting this ethologically relevant model may help understand how psychosocial stress changes food preferences and consumption leading to obesity.