Name: Hand-Rearing Procedure for Raising Newborn Marmosets
Uploaded: 2023-06-09T13:40:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Hand-Rearing Procedure for Raising Newborn Marmosets at JoVE.com

hand-rearing procedure for raising newborn marmosets

Mejora de la supervivencia y el desarrollo de los titíes mediante un enfoque de cría manual

The common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) is a small and arboreal New World monkey originating from South and Central America. The use of marmosets in biomedical research has grown rapidly over the past decades due to several key advantages of marmosets compared with other non-human primates (NHPs), including their smaller body size, easier handling and breeding in captivity, shorter gestation time, earlier sexual maturation, and lower zoonotic risks1,2,3,4,5,6. The common marmoset has a similar brain structure and brain function to humans and displays a rich repertoire of vocalizations and highly social behavior with rich emotions. It is a compelling NHP model for different types of neuroscience studies, such as studies on sensory processing7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14, vocal communication15,16,17,18,19, models of spinal cord injury20,21,22,23, Parkinson&#39;s disease24,25,26,27,28, and age-related diseases29. Compared with other NHPs, the common marmoset has a relatively high reproduction rate, which is potentially useful for transgenic modification30,31,32. This primate is also widely used in pharmacology, angiography, and pathogen and immune studies33,34,35,36,37,38,39. However, the supply of marmosets remains very limited, especially in China, and cannot meet the rapidly growing needs of scientific research.
In marmoset colonies, the adult animals are fed once or twice per day, and a few institutions alter the diet for juvenile marmosets40. Generally, infant marmosets usually grasp firmly onto the body of the father or elder siblings for daily care and are handed to the mother several times per day for milk. Some female marmosets give birth to triplets, and in this case, one or two infants cannot survive due to a lack of milk; moreover, some parents do not take care of their infants because they lack nursing experience or for other unknown reasons. This is a big loss for many laboratories. A few studies have reported methods of nutrition management for adult marmosets in captive settings40,41,42 utilizing foods and formulas with different macronutrient compositions, vitamins, and minerals, as well as different feeding protocols for enrichment (mashed, gelled, purified, or canned)2,41. One previous study reported a collaborative rearing method for marmoset triplets43, in which caregivers take one infant per day, hand-feed it throughout the day, and exchange it for another of the triplets on the next day. Although this method allows the infants to have parental care, it requires an experienced caregiver to grab the infant from the body of the parents every day and is labor-intensive. So far, no study has reported a detailed, step-by-step hand-rearing method for newborn marmosets.
The goal of the current study is to provide a hand-rearing method for those interested in marmoset development but with limited resources. In contrast to the previous collaborative rearing method43, the current method is an alternative that causes less disturbance to the infant&#39;s family and is easy to learn. Based on the basic rules of breastfeeding and 5 years of practice, this paper describes a hand-rearing method for raising infant marmosets that includes the preparation of the food, a timetable for feeding, the configuration of the temperature and humidity of the animal incubator, as well as the adaptation of the infant animals to the colony environment.

Autor destacado: Investigación sobre el tití - Alcance y desafíos 

Método de cría manual para titíes infantiles

The marmoset is a highly vocal and highly social New World monkey with high reproductive rate. We are interested in the sound processing in the brain of marmosets, the vocal development and vocal communications of infant marmosets, as well as the establishment of marmoset models of human mental diseases. The current big challenge is the shortage of marmoset supply, which cannot meet the needs of scientific research and thus, impede the progress of marmoset studies.Another challenge is the lack of experiments in maintaining a marmoset colony. This hand-rearing method significantly increases the survival rate of marmoset infants, and provides the opportunity to study the development of marmoset infants with a similar genetic backgrounds, but raised in different postnatal environments.

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Hand-Rearing Procedure for Raising Newborn Marmosets at JoVE.com

Hand-Rearing Procedure for Raising Newborn Marmosets  

Procedimiento de cría manual para criar titíes recién nacidos

Para empezar, limpie y esterilice la habitación rociando ácido hipocloroso o alcohol etílico al 75% en el suelo y la mesa. Después de salir durante 30 segundos, limpie la mesa y trapee el piso. Ajuste la temperatura de la incubadora a 35 grados centígrados y la humedad al 40%Coloque una almohadilla de pañal desechable para cubrir el chasis de la incubadora.Para minimizar el estrés de los bebés, coloque un par de mantas y juguetes de peluche en la incubadora antes de introducir los titíes bebés. Use equipo de protección personal esterilizado y caliente un par de mantas a 35 grados centígrados. Sostenga suavemente al tití bebé con mantas calientes y obtenga el peso del animal como peso al nacer.Transfiera al animal a la incubadora con mantas calientes y registre información básica como el nombre, la fecha de nacimiento, el peso al nacer, los padres y otra información de interés. Disuelva cinco gramos de fórmula para bebés en 30 mililitros de agua hervida en un tubo de centrífuga estéril de 50 mililitros. Y tome un mililitro de alimento con una jeringa de un mililitro.Tape la jeringa con una tetina de alimentación hecha a medida y use una almohadilla térmica para mantener la temperatura de los alimentos entre 30 y 35 grados centígrados. Después de calentar las manos, sostenga suavemente al bebé con una manta tibia en una mano y colóquele la tetina de alimentación en la boca mientras sostiene suavemente su cabeza con el pulgar y el índice de la mano que lo sostiene. Empuje lentamente la comida fuera de la jeringa a una velocidad constante.Después de que el tití consuma una cantidad adecuada de comida, limpie su ano con un hisopo de agua tibia para limpiar el ano y promover la defecación. Observa la locomoción del animal durante unos minutos y registra estos parámetros. Mantenga limpio el chasis de la incubadora recogiendo heces sólidas o cambiándolo por una nueva almohadilla desechable.A partir de P50, mezcle los ingredientes directamente en los platos de pesaje para preparar la comida. Coloque el plato de comida en la incubadora y fije el fondo en caso de que se le dé la vuelta. Durante las primeras veces, guíe al animal para que coma voluntariamente atrayéndolo hacia el plato de comida y guiando su boca para que toque la comida varias veces.Antes de devolver los titíes bebés a la colonia, muévalos de la incubadora de animales a jaulas pequeñas y cuelgue una botella de agua de 50 mililitros en cada jaula pequeña. Después de devolver a los bebés a la colonia, alimente a los bebés por separado con un plato de pesaje de plástico durante una semana. Registre el peso corporal y el estado de defecación una vez al día.Se obtuvo el peso corporal de cada bebé criado a mano y aumentó gradualmente con la edad. Las comparaciones de los pesos corporales entre los bebés criados a mano y los bebés criados por los padres en P30 y P60 no muestran diferencias significativas entre estos dos grupos.