Endometriosis, defined as the ectopic presence of endometrial-like cells, is associated with infertility and pelvic pain in women. Whereas pathogenesis and spontaneous evolution of endometriosis are still poorly understood, recurrences after surgical therapy or after medical treatment are common. Spontaneous endometriosis occurs only in women and in nonhuman primates (NHPs). Inbred rhesus monkeys kept in colonies offer an attractive preclinical model to study the inheritance of spontaneous endometriosis. Baboons with spontaneous or induced endometriosis appear to be the best NHP model to study pathogenesis, pathophysiology, spontaneous evolution and new medical treatment options. In baboons, induction of endometriosis after intrapelvic injection of menstrual endometrium leads to biological changes in peritoneal cavity and in endometrium. This induction process may allows the study of cause-effect relationships which may lead to the discovery of new biomarkers for the development of new non-invasive diagnostic tests and drugs that may prevent or treat endometriosis.

Baboon serum is superior to HSA or BSA for baboon sperm capacitation and zona binding.

Background: A baboon, a non-human primate, is phylogenetically close to human and has been used to study in detail aspects of reproductive physiology that cannot be studied in humans for ethical reasons. Objective: To determine the histological changes in baboon vagina associated with cyclic variations during normal menstrual cycle. Setting: The experiments were carried out at Institute of Primate Research (IPR), Karen, Nairobi, Kenya. Subjects: Nine adult healthy female olive baboons were used in this study. These baboons were monitored over a period of one year and found to have regular menstrual cycles. The vaginal biopsies were taken at different menstrual stages, fixed in 10% formalin and processed to evaluate histological changes. Results: Observation of the histological sections of the biopsies by light microscopy showed that there were histological changes associated with cyclic variations in female olive baboon. During the luteal phase, menstrual phase and pregnancy the squamous epithelium was very thin. The layer gradually thickens throughout the proliferative phase and was thickest during the ovulation period. Conclusion: The changes in squamous epithelium suggest that the baboon vagina undergoes histological changes throughout the menstrual cycle which may be associated with hormonal variations. The data from this study also suggest that olive baboon is a good model for investigating possible effects of hormonal contraceptives on vaginal epithelium and the mechanism of female heterosexual transmission of HIV.

Post-mortem evaluation of a female sub-adult olive baboon (Papio cynocephalus anubis) revealed a case of ectopic spleen anomaly. Three spherical masses characterized the spleen anomaly. The splenic nodules were located on the left upper quadrant of the stomach, at the distal end of the pancreas. The anterior nodule measures 1.2 cm, the middle nodule 1.9 cm and the posterior nodule 1.3 cm in diameter. Normal spleen was not observed in this case. All the three ectopic splenic nodules showed normal histological architecture. A case of ectopic splenic nodules in baboon is important in that the spleen malformation can readily be mistaken for a pathological process.

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