Identification of possible nutritional and stress risk factors in the development of marmoset wasting syndrome

Abstract

Marmoset wasting syndrome (MWS) describes a series of symptoms in callitrichids that lead to general weakness and a failure to thrive in captive conditions such as zoological institutions. Though the cause of MWS has not been identified, the majority of hypotheses are linked to deficiencies of specific nutrients and increased stress levels. Questionnaires were sent to zoos requesting information on diets and housing of currently living and dead callitrichids before their deaths, as well as their postmortem reports. Risk factors for development and occurrence of MWS include close proximity of predator enclosures and high levels of dietary magnesium and zinc. Variables with effects which may protect against the development of MWS included provision of a nest box, natural trees within enclosure, reduced visibility to visitors, as well as dietary factors such as higher concentrations of potassium and fiber fractions. The protective effects of limited concentrate feeds and increased total dietary fiber may help reduce the risks of developing MWS. The minerals may not have biological implications in MWS per se, however, they may be reflective of diets too high in concentrates and too low in plant matter. Habitat designs that are less naturalistic and those which provide insufficient privacy or hide areas may increase chronic stress for callitrichid species, possibly because of visitor-related stress. Other causes of chronic stress in captive zoo populations should be the topic of further research to reduce occurrence of MWS.

The Gut Microbiome of Exudivorous Marmosets in the Wild and Captivity

“…One concern for a lack of tree gums in the diet of captive specialist exudivores is the development of health issues as well as a negative impact on breeding and survivability [85,86]. Current captive Callithrix husbandry, often omits gums from the marmoset diet or uses it as an enrichment ingredient (Table 4) [86].…”

“…One concern for a lack of tree gums in the diet of captive specialist exudivores is the development of health issues as well as a negative impact on breeding and survivability [85,86]. Current captive Callithrix husbandry, often omits gums from the marmoset diet or uses it as an enrichment ingredient (Table 4) [86]. In humans suffering from GI diseases, increasing plant-based foods and dietary fiber, resulted in increasing microbiome diversity, remission of GI symptoms, and decreasing risk of GI [7,87].…”

Effects of a combined enrichment intervention on the behavioural and physiological welfare of captive Asiatic lions (Panthera leo persica)

“…In this study, we measured two traditional negative welfare parameters like ARB (Mason and Latham, 2004) and faecal corticosterone levels (Schildkraut, 2016;Vaz et al, 2017) along with two positive welfare indicators (Miller et al, 2020) viz., spread of participation index (SPI) (Cabana et al, 2018;Powell, 1995) and behaviour diversity (Pastorino et al, 2017). Previous studies on captive African lions that establish the positive effects of enrichment interventions have primarily relied on behavioural welfare indices (Martínez-Macipe et al, 2015;Ncube and Ndagurwa, 2010;Powell, 1995;Regaiolli et al, 2019;Van Metter et al, 2008).…”

Effects of enhanced insect feeding on the fecal microbiome and transcriptome of a family of captive common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus)

“…After successful confirmation of the germline transmission of transgenes [1], common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) have been increasingly used in various medical and biological areas [2]. Breeding methods for captive marmosets have been well established [3,4,5], while some health problems, such as diarrhea and wasting, have been observed in many laboratories [6]. Marmoset wasting syndrome (MWS, or wasting marmoset syndrome, WMS) is a well-known health problem endemic to captive marmoset colonies and has been documented for several decades [7,8].…”

“…Several causes have been suggested to explain the variable symptoms, and malnutrition is thought to be one of the important factors for the etiology of MWS [6,7].…”