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Antemortem Screening for Left Ventricular Hypertrophy in Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta)
Andrew J Haertel1, Joshua A Stern2, J Rachel Reader3
1California National Primate Research Center, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, California, USA; Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, California, USA; Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health and Science University, Beaverton, Oregon, USA.
Insights
Diagnosing left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in living macaques is challenging. Targeted echocardiography in familial LVH cases identified disease, while cardiac troponin I levels were higher in outdoor-housed macaques.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Cardiology
- Primate Research
- Cardiovascular Pathology
Background:
- Concentric left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is a key feature of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, leading to diastolic dysfunction and severe cardiac outcomes.
- LVH has been diagnosed postmortem in rhesus macaques, but antemortem diagnostic methods are needed for early intervention.
- Familial predisposition to LVH in macaques necessitates the development of effective screening tools.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate targeted echocardiography for diagnosing LVH in living rhesus macaques with a familial association.
- To investigate cardiac biomarker levels, including cardiac troponin I (cTnI), in relation to LVH and housing conditions (indoor vs. outdoor).
- To determine the utility of echocardiography and biomarkers for LVH surveillance in rhesus macaque colonies.
Main Methods:
- Echocardiography was performed on rhesus macaques, focusing on those with a familial history of LVH.
- Sera were analyzed for cardiac biomarkers: cTnI, C-reactive protein, creatinine kinase-MB, creatine phosphokinase, and LDH.
- Animals were grouped based on housing (indoor vs. outdoor) and compared with postmortem diagnosed cases and controls.
Main Results:
- None of the investigated cardiac biomarkers were significantly associated with the presence of LVH.
- Serum cTnI levels were significantly elevated in macaques housed outdoors compared to those housed indoors.
- LVH was diagnosed antemortem in 29.4% of macaques with a familial association with the condition.
Conclusions:
- Targeted echocardiography is a valuable tool for antemortem diagnosis and surveillance of LVH in rhesus macaques with a familial predisposition.
- Outdoor housing and associated exercise may elevate cTnI levels in macaques, suggesting environmental factors influence biomarker readings.
- Cardiac biomarkers were not reliable indicators of LVH in this study, underscoring the importance of imaging techniques.
Abstract:
Concentric left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is a hallmark finding in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy that leads to diastolic dysfunction and variable cardiac consequences as severe as congestive heart failure and sudden cardiac death. LVH was diagnosed postmortem in a large colony of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), but methods to screen and diagnose LVH in living animals are desired. We hypothesized that targeted echocardiography of macaques with a familial association of LVH would yield antemortem LVH diagnoses. We also hypothesized that cardiac biomarker levels would be higher in sudden-death LVH or occult LVH than controls and that cardiac troponin I (cTnI) levels would be higher in macaques housed outdoors than indoors. Sera were assayed for cardiac biomarkers (cTnI, C-reactive protein, creatinine kinase-MB, creatine phosphokinase, and LDH), in conjunction with echocardiography, after diagnosis by postmortem exam or from animals with different levels of exercise due to indoor compared with outdoor housing. None of the investigated biomarkers were associated with LVH. cTnI levels were significantly higher in serum collected from outdoor than indoor macaques. In addition, LVH was diagnosed in 29.4% of subjects with a familial association of LVH. These findings suggest that exercise may increase cTnI levels in rhesus macaques and that targeted echocardiography of rhesus macaques with a familial association of LVH was the most useful variable examined for disease surveillance.
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