Wound healing in wild male baboons: Estimating healing time from wound size

Abstract

Wound healing in animals is important to minimize the fitness costs of infection. Logically, a longer healing time is associated with higher risk of infection and higher energy loss. In wild mammals, wounds caused by aggressive intraspecific interactions can potentially have lethal repercussions. Clarifying wounding rate and healing time is therefore important for measuring the severity of the attacks. In addition, impact of secondary damage of wounds (e.g., accidental peeling off of scabs) on heeling time is unknown despite the risk of infection in wild mammals. In baboons, most male injuries have been reported to result from male to male fights. Here, we investigated the relationship between wound size and healing time in wild anubis baboons to clarify the healing cost of physical attacks including secondary damage of wounds. Observations were conducted daily between August 2016 and July 2017 in Kenya for seven adult male anubis baboons. The individual wound rate was one per month on average. In 16 cases, we were able to assess the number of days required for wound healing, and the median healing time was 13 d. Wound healing time was longer for larger wounds. When the scab was peeled off accidentally because of external factors, healing time became longer. One of the causes of scabs’ peeling off was baboons’ scab-picking behavior, and the behaviour was considered self-injurious behavior. However, its predicted healing cost might not be high. We concluded that wounds less than 800 mm2 (the largest observed in this study) in baboon males have little effect on survival. Our results suggest that lethal wounds by physical attacks rarely occur in male baboons, and that healing time and delay caused by secondary damages can be estimated by measuring wound area.

Measurement of perineal tears as an additional tool for laceration assessment during vaginal birth

“…Less tissue loss is associated with a higher healing rate, requiring less tissue repair 23 . Larger tears require more prolonged healing, and this can increase infection risk 24 .…”

Aloe vera and wound healing: a brief review

“…The re-epithelization process is critical in wound closure as the newly generated epithelial tissue acts as a physical barrier blocking contaminant and microbial invasions from the external environment and precluding body fluid leaks. The wound closure rate is directly affected by wound size as larger defects require more time to close because migrating epithelial cells have to travel longer distances to link both edges (Taniguchi, Matsumoto-Oda, 2018). Moreover, the moist wound surface facilitates epithelial cell migration, while, dry surface inhibits epithelial cell migration (Hamman, 2008).…”

A Rhesus Monkey Model of Non-suicidal Self-Injury

“…Serious wounds require veterinary treatment. Other forms of SIB include hitting, head banging, and disruption of wound healing ( Novak, 2003 ; Taniguchi and Matsumoto-Oda, 2018 ). It is uncommon for individuals to use multiple methods, except in the case of excessive manipulation of bite wounds that significantly delays healing.…”

“…However, monkeys may show a preference for particular body sites, leading to permanent skin damage. Although SIB has been studied most extensively in primate research facilities, it also occurs in primates housed in zoological gardens ( Hosey and Skyner, 2007 ) and those living in natural environments ( Grewal, 1981 ; Taniguchi and Matsumoto-Oda, 2018 ).…”