Hematological and biochemical reference intervals of wild-caught and inhouse adult Indian rhesus macaques

Abstract Background Nonhuman primates are essentially used for research purposes such as studying diseases, different biological processes and in drug discovery and development programs. Various clinical pathology parameters are used as biomarkers of disease conditions in biomedical research. Detailed reports of these parameters are not available for Indian-origin rhesus macaques. In order to meet the increasing need of information, we conducted this study on 121 adult Indian rhesus macaques (57 wild-sourced and 64 inhouse animals, aged 3-7 years). A total of 18 hematology and 18 biochemistry parameters were evaluated and reported in this study. Data from these parameters were statistically evaluated for significance amongst inhouse and wild-born animals and for difference amongst sexes. Reference range was calculated according to C28-A3 guidelines for reporting reference intervals of clinical laboratory parameters. Results: Source of the animals and sex appeared to have statistically significant effects on reference values and range. Wild-born animals reported higher WBC, platelets, neutrophils, RBC, hemoglobin, HCT, MCV and total protein values in comparison to inhouse monkeys. Sex-based differences were observed for parameters such as RBCs, hemoglobin, HCT, creatinine, calcium, phosphorus, albumin and total protein amongst others. Conclusions: Through this study, we have established a comprehensive data set of reference values and intervals for certain hematological and biochemical parameters which will help researchers in planning, conducting and interpreting various aspects of biomedical research employing Indian-origin rhesus monkeys.