Using a Cageside Device for Testing Glycosylated Hemoglobin in Cynomolgus Macaques (Macaca fascicularis)

Nonhuman primates naturally develop type 2 diabetes mellitus and exhibit clinical features that are similar to those observed in humans, including obesity, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and pancreatic pathology. The glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1C) test is the primary test used for diabetes management in humans because it reflects the average blood glucose levels over the previous 3 mo. The HbA1C results are a better predictor of potential risk of complications than are single or episodic measures of glucose levels. HbA1C levels have proven useful for the diagnosis and monitoring of blood glucose levels in NHP, but for testing by a commercial laboratory, the test requires a vial of whole blood, results are not available for several days, and the test is expensive. The cageside device requires a single drop of blood, it displays the HbA1C percentage in 5 min, and the cost per sample is less than for sending it to a commercial lab. We therefore assessed the correlation between a cageside test using a handheld unit and the commercial lab test for measuring HbA1C in cynomolgus macaques. From both normal and confirmed diabetic animals, 4 mL blood was collected from a peripheral vessel and sent to a commercial lab for HbA1C testing. At the same time, a drop of capillary blood was collected and tested immediately in the HbA1C cageside test. A comparison of the results revealed significant correlation between the cageside and commercial lab tests. Therefore, we feel that the HbA1C test using handheld device may help to rule out nondiabetics and indicate which animals require additional testing.