Other Noninfectious Conditions (Inflammatory/Degenerative/Proliferative, Immune-Mediated/Idiopathic/Unknown) in Nonhuman Primates

There are several disease entities in nonhuman primates that primarily manifest as inflammatory, degenerative, and/or proliferative processes and are not assumed or currently known to be caused by infectious agents. Despite uncertainties in etiology and pathogenesis, a number of these entities such as endometriosis, marmoset wasting syndrome, and chronic segmental lymphocytic enteritis are prominent within colonies with a high degree of morbidity and mortality. Endometriosis is a proliferative disease of unidentified etiology that affects several Old World monkey species with a menstrual cycle, while gluten-sensitive enteropathy of macaques is an inflammatory disease, for which an immune-mediated pathogenesis has been established. Given the similarities of these entities in humans, they have been established as an important translational models of disease. Other entities such as diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) and noninfectious alopecia are less debilitating but remain important entities to further try and understand. DISH presents as a chronic degenerative disorder affecting both Old and New World monkeys, and noninfectious alopecia is a recognized health issue in macaque colonies with poorly understood etiology.