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Background and Methods: Sera were tested for Brucella spp., Leptospira spp. and Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in 68 free-ranging New World monkeys from a forest fragment of the Brazilian Cerrado., Results and Conclusion: All animals were negative for Brucella spp. and Leptospira spp. However, 75% of Alouatta caraya and 16.6% of Callithrix penicillata were positive for T. gondii. The implications for conservation and health management are discussed., (© 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: The studies on fecal steroid metabolites published with free-living primates are limited mainly by the difficulty in obtaining samples., Methods: A radioimmunoassay was used to measure the fecal steroid concentrations in Alouatta belzebul in the National Forest of Tapirape-Aquiri in Brazil., Results and Conclusions: Androgens were significantly higher for the adult males from the Area of Influence (AI-I group) when compared to those from the Control Area (CA group) (P < 0.05). Progestin and estrogen concentrations were higher in the females from the CA group than in those from the AI-I for both the adult females and females with offspring; however, P < 0.05 was only observed in the concentrations of fecal progestins from the adult females. The physiological differences between the AI-I and CA groups suggest that the cause was a sum of factors, such as an exposure to sound waves, feeding habits, daily activity patterns, and the habituation of the animals., (© 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Severe anemia is the earliest and a frequently fatal complication of Plasmodium falciparum infection. Here we describe Aotus infulatus as a primate model suitable to study this malaria complication. Both non-splenectomized and splenectomized monkeys receiving different inocula of P. falciparum FVO strain presented large (> 50%) decreases in hematocrit values during infection. Non-splenectomized animals were able to control parasite growth (parasitemia did not exceed 4%), but they had to be treated because of severe anemia. Three of 4 splenectomized monkeys did not control parasitemia and were treated, but developed severe anemia after treatment when presenting a negative blood film. Destruction of parasitized red blood cells alone cannot account for the degree of anemia. Non-splenectomized monkeys repeatedly infected with homologous parasites became rapidly and progressively resistant to reinfection and to the development of severe anemia. The data presented here point to A. infulatus as a suitable model for studying the pathogenesis of severe malarial infection.