Standard growth for dam-reared infant rhesus and pigtail macaques (Macaca mulatta and Macaca nemestrina)
Figure 1: Mean growth velocities of infant macaques with the assumption of linear growth in the first year of life (purple dashed line) and with state-of-the-art statistical model methods championed by the World Health Organization (red solid line).
Growth charts for infant macaques raised in research housing have been greatly improved upon as diet, husbandry, and social housing strategies evolved onward. The Breeding and Colony Management Consortium updated standard growth charts for dam-reared infant rhesus and pigtail macaques using weight records from 7 BCMC-member institutions. New growth models were developed using state-of-art statistical methods validated by the World Health Organization. The assumption that infant macaque growth is linear was challenged by our findings; growth rates appear to change over the first year of life for infant macaques (Figure 1). The new growth standards provide a unified reference that best represents normal physiological growth for all infant rhesus and pigtail macaques from birth through the first year of life (Figures 2 and 3). These standards offer guidance on expected growth trajectories and serve as a benchmark for assessing healthy development of macaque infants across research breeding colonies.
Resultant weight percentiles charts are made available as PDF and user-friendly MS excel file to access and analyze macaque growth in breeding colonies.
