Glenn Kelly M, Campbell Jennifer L, Rotstein David, Williams Cathy V
Duke University Primate Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
Am J Primatol. 2006 Apr;68(4):369-81. doi: 10.1002/ajp.20231.
Significant concern has been generated about the susceptibility of captive lemurs to iron storage disease, which has led some researchers to propose husbandry changes regarding dietary iron. In the current study we sought to determine the history, severity, and prevalence of iron storage disease within a large captive lemur population. Iron concentration and hemosiderin accumulation in a target organ, the liver, were assessed in necropsy specimens from 15 different species (n=153) of lemurs over a 12-yr period at the Duke University Primate Center. Banked liver tissue was used to quantify liver iron concentration (LIC) via neutron activation analysis (NAA). Prussian blue staining was used to accentuate the presence of liver iron for evaluation using an established scoring system. Of the 153 reports examined, 49 (32%) of the animals were considered positive for the presence of hemosiderin in the liver, lymph node, duodenum, and kidney, with 36 of the 49 (73%) showing deposition of iron in the liver. Total iron scores (TIS) ranged from 0.3+/-0.3 in Lemur catta to 33.3+/-1.7 in Cheirogaleus medius. The mean LIC ranged from 209+/-1.4 microg/g wet weight in L. catta to 2957+/-414 microg/g in C. medius. Management practices may have contributed to some of the results observed in this study. Although evidence of excess iron deposition in the liver was present across several species studied, the levels were not as pervasive as previously reported in other captive lemur populations. Hemochromatosis was not observed, and excess iron was not related to the cause of death in any of the animals studied. The current findings suggest that iron overload in lemurs may be more complex than was previously believed.
圈养狐猴对铁储存疾病的易感性引发了人们的高度关注，这使得一些研究人员提议对饮食中的铁进行饲养管理方面的改变。在当前的研究中，我们试图确定一个大型圈养狐猴群体中铁储存疾病的病史、严重程度和患病率。在杜克大学灵长类动物中心，对15个不同物种（n = 153）的狐猴在12年期间的尸检标本进行了评估，以检测目标器官肝脏中的铁浓度和含铁血黄素积累情况。利用库存储存的肝脏组织，通过中子活化分析（NAA）对肝脏铁浓度（LIC）进行定量。使用普鲁士蓝染色来突出肝脏中铁的存在，以便使用既定的评分系统进行评估。在所检查的153份报告中，49只（32%）动物被认为在肝脏、淋巴结、十二指肠和肾脏中存在含铁血黄素，其中49只中的36只（73%）在肝脏中显示有铁沉积。总铁评分（TIS）范围从环尾狐猴的0.3±0.3到小鼠狐猴的33.3±1.7。平均LIC范围从环尾狐猴的209±1.4微克/克湿重到小鼠狐猴的2957±414微克/克。管理措施可能对本研究中观察到的一些结果有所影响。尽管在所研究的几个物种中都存在肝脏中铁过量沉积的证据，但这些水平并不像之前在其他圈养狐猴群体中报道的那样普遍。未观察到血色素沉着症，并且在所研究的任何动物中，过量的铁都与死因无关。目前的研究结果表明，狐猴中的铁过载可能比之前认为的更为复杂。
