Research Paper Volume 9, Issue 12 pp 2544—2558
The development of a specific pathogen free (SPF) barrier colony of marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) for aging research
- 1 Department of Science and Mathematics, Texas A&M University San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78224, USA
- 2 Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies, University of Texas Health San Antonio, TX 78245, USA
- 3 Nathan Shock Center of Excellence in the Basic Biology of Aging, Department of Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
- 4 Southwest National Primate Research Center, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78227, USA
- 5 Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USA
- 6 Reynolds Oklahoma Center on Aging, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA
Received: September 28, 2017 Accepted: December 1, 2017 Published: December 7, 2017
https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.101340How to Cite
Abstract
A specific pathogen free (SPF) barrier colony of breeding marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) was established at the Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies. Rodent and other animal models maintained as SPF barrier colonies have demonstrated improved health and lengthened lifespans enhancing the quality and repeatability of aging research. The marmosets were screened for two viruses and several bacterial pathogens prior to establishing the new SPF colony. Twelve founding animals successfully established a breeding colony with increased reproductive success, improved health parameters, and increased median lifespan when compared to a conventionally housed, open colony. The improved health and longevity of marmosets from the SPF barrier colony suggests that such management can be used to produce a unique resource for future studies of aging processes in a nonhuman primate model.