Cataracts in a laboratory colony of African green monkeys (Chlorocebus aethiops)

Three cases of spontaneous cataracts were investigated in a colony of African green monkeys (Chlorocebus aethiops). Clinical, pathological and microbiological investigations were conducted in two cases of juvenile cataracts and in one case of a mature cataract. These investigations revealed no indication of an infection as the cause of cataract development. A genetic correlation existed between the affected individuals. Clinical chemistry gave a hint that calcium might be a "key factor" in the development of these cataracts: in both cases of the juvenile cataracts, the calcium content in the serum and in the aqueous humor was clearly decreased in the affected babies. The calcium uptake in the affected baby itself was not altered but the calcium content in the mother's milk was low.