Characteristics of the menstrual cycle in nonhuman primates. IV. Timed mating in Macaca nemestrina

Abstract

SummaryThe events of the perineal swelling cycle in Macaca nemestrina have been correlated with the optimal time for conception. The mean cycle length of the animals was 32·8 days with the follicular and luteal phases of the cycle 17·6-19·2 and 13·6-15·2 days respectively. The time of ovulation, relative to the tumescence peak, ranged from I to 13 days. The optimal time for mating, based on the ratio between day of breeding and cycle length was 0·46, a value comparable with similar calculations for other macaque species.

Persistence, Immune Response, and Antigenic Variation of Mycoplasma genitalium in an Experimentally Infected Pig-Tailed Macaque (Macaca nemestrina)

“…We sought to develop an animal model of persistent infection to study gene variation in M. genitalium in the context of a normal immune response. Female pig-tailed macaques (M. nemestrina) were chosen for this purpose because of the similarities of their reproductive tract anatomy, menstrual cycle, and vaginal flora to those of humans (53)(54)(55) and the previous success using this species in models of genital tract infection with other human pathogens, including Chlamydia trachomatis (56)(57)(58)(59)(60)(61)(62)(63), Trichomonas vaginalis (64), and simian-human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV) coinfection with C. trachomatis and T. vaginalis (65). Prior to inoculation, the M. genitalium-negative status of a candidate primate was confirmed by culture and qPCR of preinoculation genital tract specimens (Table 1).…”

Non‐Human Primate Models of Hormonal Contraception and HIV

“…6,25, First, PTM cycle throughout the year. RM cycle mainly in the fall and winter, although in captivity, they may cycle throughout the year 30,49,50 (M. Lewis, personal communication). The menstrual cycle is generally slightly longer in PTM than in RM and humans.…”

“…The menstrual cycle is generally slightly longer in PTM than in RM and humans. 6,30,49 Vaginal microflora in RM and PTM contain some of the same bacteria seen in humans, but tend to be more similar to those seen in women with bacterial vaginosis, in that there is a reduction in or absence of Lactobacillus species. 43,[51][52][53]58 The vaginal pH of RM and PTM also tends to be more basic (pH 6-8) than the human vaginal pH, which is usually around pH 4, 33,43,44,52,53,59 and these differences should be taken into consideration in model selection.…”

“…79 PTM, compared to RM, have larger sex skin swelling, which can be used to determine cycle phase visually. 30 To summarize, while RM are readily available and better characterized genetically, some of the advantages of PTM are that they consistently cycle throughout the year and are documented to be reproducibly infected vaginally with S(H)IV in the absence of exogenous hormone treatment.…”

Simian-Human Immunodeficiency Viruses and Their Impact on Non-Human Primate Models for AIDS

“…One of the main advantages of pigtail macaques is that the females exhibit continuous lunar menstrual cycles as do women [76], making this species particularly valuable for studies examining the impact of the menstrual cycle and accompanying changes in the vaginal environment on SIV/SHIV susceptibility. Research on the role of the female reproductive system in HIV acquisition and transmission is especially critical given recent findings that demonstrated a higher risk for women receiving the Depo Provera synthetic progesterone injection for the purpose of birth control [77].…”