title: The correlation between alopecia and temperament in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) at four primate facilities.
abstract: Alopecia is a ubiquitous, multifaceted problem at facilities caring for captive rhesus macaques. There is a wide range of potential etiologies for the hair loss, including compromised immune function, dermatological pathologies, and environmental factors. However, few studies have examined whether various temperamental traits affect vulnerability to develop alopecia. We examined the correlation between alopecia and temperament in 101 (51M) indoor-housed rhesus macaques at four national primate centers. We utilized a cage side version of the Human Intruder test (HIT) to assess response to four conditions: no human present (Alone), human intruder standing next to the cage without making eye contact (Profile), intruder making direct eye contact (Stare) and intruder with back turned (Back). Behavior from all videos was quantified at one facility. We used generalized linear modeling to examine the relationship between behavior on the HIT and alopecia, controlling for facility, age, and sex. There was a significant negative correlation between alopecia and various behaviors associated with an inhibited or anxious temperament, including self-directed behavior (β = -0.15, P < 0.001) and freeze in the Profile period (β = -0.0092, P < 0.001), and defensive behaviors (β = -0.0094, P < 0.001) and time spent in the back of the cage in the Stare period (β = -0.0023, P = 0.015). Individuals with an inhibited or anxious temperament had less alopecia than others. Further, there were facility differences with respect to several variables on the HIT, including defensive behavior in Stare and freeze in Profile. These results suggest that temperament can influence the development of alopecia in rhesus macaques. Our results also highlight the degree to which facility differences can affect outcomes on standardized behavioral tests. Am. J. Primatol. 79:e22504, 2017. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
authors.affiliation: Oregon National Primate Research Center, Beaverton, Oregon.
authors.forename: Kristine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Coleman
authors.affiliation: Southwest National Primate Research Center, San Antonio, Texas.
authors.forename: Corrine K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Lutz
authors.affiliation: Washington National Primate Research Center, Seattle, Washington.
authors.forename: Julie M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Worlein
authors.affiliation: Oregon National Primate Research Center, Beaverton, Oregon.
authors.forename: Daniel H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Gottlieb
authors.affiliation: University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Peterson
authors.affiliation: Washington National Primate Research Center, Seattle, Washington.
authors.forename: Grace H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Oregon National Primate Research Center, Beaverton, Oregon.
authors.forename: Nicola D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Robertson
authors.affiliation: University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Kendra
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rosenberg
authors.affiliation: University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Mark T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Menard
authors.affiliation: University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Melinda A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Novak
mesh_terms: D000505:Alopecia / Q000523:psychology / Q000662:veterinary*; D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D006801:Humans; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D013694:Temperament
keywords:  anxiety;  hair loss;  husbandry practices; behavioral inhibition