Reproductive one health in primates

Abstract

One Health is a collaborative trans‐disciplinary approach to health; integrating human, animal, and environmental health. The focus is often on infection disease transmission and disease risk mitigation. However, One Health also includes the multidisciplinary and comparative approach to disease investigation and health of humans, animals, and the environment. One key aspect of environmental/ecosystem health is conservation, the maintenance of healthy, actively reproducing wildlife populations. Reproduction and reproductive health are an integral part of the One Health approach: the comparative aspects of reproduction can inform conservation policies or breeding strategies (in situ and ex situ) in addition to physiology and disease. Differences in reproductive strategies affect the impact poaching and habitat disruption might have on a given population, as well as ex situ breeding programs and the management of zoo and sanctuary populations. Much is known about chimpanzees, macaques, and marmosets as these are common animal models, but there is much that remains unknown regarding reproduction in many other primates. Examining the similarities and differences between and within taxonomic groups allows reasonable extrapolation for decision‐making when there are knowledge gaps. For example: (1) knowing that a species has very low reproductive rates adds urgency to conservation policy for that region or species; (2) identifying species with short or absent lactation anestrus allows ex situ institutions to better plan contraception options for specific individuals or prepare for the immediate next pregnancy; (3) recognizing that progestin contraceptives are effective contraceptives, but may be associated with endometrial hyperplasia in some species (in Lemuridae but not great apes) better guides empirical contraceptive choice; (4) recognizing the variable endometriosis prevalence across taxa improves preventive medicine programs. A summary of anatomical variation, endocrinology, contraception, pathology, and diagnostics is provided to illustrate these features and aid in routine physical and postmortem examinations as well as primate management.

Of Elephants and Other Mammals: A Comparative Review of Reproductive Tumors and Potential Impact on Conservation

“…Importantly, even if a reproductive tumor is diagnosed early and the animal survives, that animal’s reproductive potential may still be compromised. In addition to animal health, comparative reproductive oncology may also advance human health, and in fact, both comparative oncology and reproductive disorders are part of the One Health approach [ 24 , 25 ]. As environmental changes, habitat loss, and poaching continue to threaten all animal species, large and long-lived species, such as elephants, are disproportionately vulnerable, and the interconnectedness of animal health, planetary health, and fertility becomes more apparent [ 26 ].…”

Integrated approaches to howler monkey (Alouatta spp.) medicine in professional care and conservation

“…Ex-situ facilities can provide some insight into pregnancy loss occurrences by regularly evaluating reproductive parameters, such as birth records, fecal hormone monitoring and voluntary or opportunistic ultrasound examinations of the females; further pregnancy monitoring via hormones or ultrasound in ex-situ populations can provide comparative data for in-situ populations (21)(22)(23)(24). If ultrasound examinations are performed regularly, valuable in-utero growth data can be obtained as well as information on reproductive disease that occurs naturally (24). So, knowledge gained from ex-situ populations can be applied to in-situ populations and vice versa.…”

“…The One Health concept is usually associated with infectious disease or toxicology as they are the aspects that can most easily affect multiple species ( 5 ). However, when considering conservation, reproduction is a key aspect, as many reproductive diseases affect multiple species ( 18 ), which could be studied both in the wild and in professional care, making it a fundamental part of One Conservation ( 7 ). Reproductive parameters such as longevity, age at maturity, gestation length, presence or absence of a lactational anestrus, inter-birth interval, and reproductive rate at the population level are important factors that determine how fast a population can reverse a declining trend or recover from die-off events such as after an infectious disease outbreak.…”

Chemical contraceptive impacts on cyclic progesterone and sexual behavior in zoo‐housed Western lowland gorillas

“…Thus, various methods may be employed to control breeding (Asa & Porton, 2005). A commonly used method for reproductive management to optimize health of nonhuman primates under human care is the use of contraceptives (Moresco et al, 2021). Control of breeding can take a variety of forms from management of social groupings to chemical contraception (Boutelle & Bertschinger, 2010; Wallace et al, 2016).…”