Coalitions are a specific case of cooperative competition and have been explained by various factors like partner availability, distribution of fighting ability, or cost of coordination. We investigated if age is an important factor influencing coalition formation and, specifically, if males switch from a solo strategy to a cooperative one after reaching post-prime age. We found that older males formed more coalitions than younger ones, stressing the importance of age in cooperative competition.

Transmission of macaque herpes B virus (BV) to humans can induce severe disease. Therefore, diagnostic tests for detecting BV infection are needed. Here, we show that antigens of BV-related non-human primate herpes viruses allow for the detection of antibodies elicited against BV with a higher sensitivity than antigens of human herpes simplex viruses (HSV). Moreover, we provide evidence that using recombinant viral glycoproteins may allow us to discriminate antibody responses against BV and HSV.

Humans and African great apes (AGAs) are naturally infected with several species of closely related malaria parasites. Research on AGA malaria has been driven by the need to understand the origins of human malaria and the risk of transmission of malaria parasites infecting AGAs to humans. The understanding of the ecology of AGA malaria parasites and their impact on AGA health remains relatively poor. We review current knowledge on AGA malaria and identify gaps and future research perspectives.

Forest-living primates are particularly vulnerable to the effects of forest fragmentation. The extent to which they can use the agricultural matrix between fragments can be critical for their long-term survival. This paper provides the first record of the use of a rubber plantation by golden-headed lion tamarins, endangered primates inhabiting the Atlantic Forest of south Bahia, Brazil. The results provide opportunities for reconciling economic rubber production with primate conservation.

We herein report a unique case of granulomatous arteritis in a grey mouse lemur affecting multiple organs, which is not comparable to other disease entities formerly described in nonhuman primates. The features of the entity most closely resemble disseminated visceral giant cell arteritis in humans. A concise description of the disease is given, and the differential diagnoses are discussed. An idiopathic pathogenesis is suspected.

Here we report two encounters between olive baboons (Papio anubis) and crowned eagles (Stephanoaetus coronatus), a potential predator, at Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania. On both events, baboons gave alarm calls while infants got close to adults and juveniles ran to cover. Adult males approached the eagles and chased them away. The baboons’ reactions indeed support the assumption that crowned eagles pose a threat, at least for juvenile baboons.

We report observations fur-rubbing with leaves from the spiked pepper plant, Piper aduncum, in the San Martín titi monkey, Callicebus oenanthe. As leaf extracts from this plant include insecticidal compounds, we interpret this behaviour as a defense against ectoparasites. Our observations expand the number of primate species for which this kind of self-medication is reported.

In these studies induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) were generated from donors across the life span of the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) and were subjected to a directed neural differentiation protocol. Additionally chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) iPS cells were generated. Both aged marmoset iPS cells and chimpanzee iPS cells showed defects in their ability to differentiate. However, most of these defects were able to be overcome by a brief treatment with dimethyl sulfoxide.

The research into therapeutic agents for prevention and treatment of orthopoxvirus (OPXV) infections requires adequate animal models to investigate the efficacy and safety of new vaccines and antiviral compounds against smallpox and other highly pathogenic OPXVs. This study was undertaken to investigate the susceptibility of rhesus monkeys towards the calpox virus, an orthopoxvirus of the species Cowpox virus, which is uniformly lethal in common marmosets, in order to define a new animal model.

This review provides an introduction to the in vivo and in vitro germline stem cell terminology and physiology in non-human male primates. Primordial germ cell specification, migration and expansion are compared among species, and the usefulness of pluripotency markers is discussed taking immunohistochemical and molecular evidence during postnatal developmental stages into consideration. The concept of germline plasticity is critically reviewed and might present a primate-specific feature.

We propose for this special issue an exhaustive review of past and most recent advances on the topic of cell replacement in Parkinson’s disease, describing the different procedures using transplantation of various cell sources as a therapeutic approach and linked therapeutic behavioral and/or functional outcomes. We conclude by opening perspectives on future promising developments for the use of cell-replacement therapy in research and its translation to the clinic.

This review shows that mouse lemurs show various ocular impairments which may distort vision. The most widespread and obvious ocular finding were nuclear sclerosis and cataracts. Both highly increase with increasing age. Iris posterior synechia has been described in different colonies and seems highly age dependent and cataract associated. Combined with the variety of many other eye diseases, special ophthalmological treatments and examinations are required to ensure animal well-being.

In some patients with blood cell cancer, the protein c-CBL was found to be mutated. c-CBL has also been shown to be expressed by human testicular stem cells, which produce the spermatozoa. Based on these finding, we asked whether c-CBL may be a protein generally involved in the functioning of stem cells. While we could not detect c-CBL in stem cells of the gut, strong expression was found in pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) of the marmoset monkey, suggesting a role of c-CBL in primate PSCs.