Hereditary Conditions of Nonhuman Primates

Abstract

In human medicine, a large number of conditions with a hereditary basis have been recognized. This has, of course, been possible because of the detailed knowledge of human genealogies, the detailed study of human diseases, and the long history of human medicine. In nonhuman primates (hereafter simply “Cprimates”), this is not the case; only a few conditions are known to have a genetic basis. On first consideration, this might be inferred to be due to a relative paucity of deleterious mutations, but much more likely it is the result of less intensive study. Detailed genetic study of primates has commenced only in the recent one or two decades. Continuous breeding has an even shorter history, and few prospective inquiries have been made in the many species of primates now bred to detect potentially interesting aberrant genotypes. It is thus not unreasonable to expect that in the future much will be learned about genetic diseases of primates, some of which will doubtless be of great comparative interest, indeed have relevance to an understanding of human disease. An important consideration for the future of self-sustaining colonies of primates will be what decisions are to be made with such aberrant, perhaps lethal, genotypes. Should they be intentionally removed from the breeding stock, or should they be set aside for study, and how to do this bearing in mind the best interest of primates as well as their potential use as models? And it should be said at the outset that the full understanding of these conditions in the exploration of models not only will serve human medicine but it will also be essential in the long-term management of primate colonies.