Inbreeding, Lymphoma, Genetics and Morphology of the Papio hamadryas Colony of Sukhumi

Abstract

During the summer of 1975, as part of the US-USSR Academy of Sciences Exchange, the senior author visited the Institute of Experimental Pathology and Therapy of the Academy of Medical Science of the USSR in Sukhumi. Various research projects on these animals are discussed. The P. hamadryas baboons housed at the Sukhumi center were infected with human lymphoma and others of these cercopithecoids apparently contracted the disease. Baboons bred in captivity were at greater risk than the imported animals captured in the wild. It was possible to examine the pedigrees of the hamadryas population. From these pedigrees, representing 6 distinct generations, it became apparent that inbred baboons were at greater risk of contracting lymphoma and that the disease was concentrated in certain lineages. Genetics may be 1 major factor contributing to the course of the disease. The interactions of genetic and environmental factors which contribute to the etiology of lymphoma are examined. The analysis of red cell and serum proteins from approximately 200 animals revealed electrophoretic variants in 6 different systems, GBG, PGM1, PGM2, ADA, 6PGD and transferrins. Preliminary results from work on red cell antigens, based on a sample of the early specimens, indicate several highly polymorphic blood group systems.