White Monkey Syndrome in Infant Baboons (Papio Species)

    July 2004 in “ Journal of Medical Primatology ”
    Patricia Frost, Gene B. Hubbard, Martina Dammann, C.L. Snider, Charleen M. Moore, Vida Hodara, Luis D. Giavedoni, Rachelle D. Rohwer, Michael C. Mahaney, Thomas M. Butler, Larry B. Cummins, Timothy J. McDonald, Peter W. Nathanielsz, Natalia Schlabritz‐Loutsevitch
    Over 23 months, 35 infant baboons aged 5-12 months in a specific cage complex were diagnosed with zinc toxicosis, showing symptoms like reduced pigmentation, alopecia, dehydration, and severe dermatitis. The syndrome included pancytopenia, elevated zinc, low copper, low vitamin D, and bone-specific alkaline phosphatase levels, and abnormal bone marrow proliferation. This highlighted the need for proper husbandry and cage design and suggested infant baboons as a model for studying zinc's developmental effects. This was the first report of zinc toxicosis in captive infant baboons.
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