The Veterinary Services group is responsible for the veterinary care of all nonhuman primates managed in the various divisions within the Center. This includes investigation of spontaneous disease and provision of professional veterinary advice and services to support research projects.
The veterinary medicine and surgery staff provide many routine services, including:
- Depending on the Specific Pathogen Free status, primates are routinely tested for tuberculosis and the presence of various viruses, including Type D simian retrovirus, simian T cell leukemia virus, Herpes B virus, and simian foamy virus
- Routine physical examinations including analysis of blood and serum biochemical analyses
- Diagnosis and treatment of spontaneously occurring conditions using accepted veterinary diagnostic procedures or more specialized procedures
- Diagnosis, treatment, and development of prognoses and termination criteria for diseases associated with experimental protocols
Clinical Medicine
The Clinical medicine services provide professional veterinary expertise to the colony management, environmental enrichment, and research support programs regarding many aspects of primate care and use. These services include pregnancy evaluations, surgical interventions, and pre- and postnatal care of dams and infants.
Surgery Services
Surgical services include providing facilities, equipment, instruments, and expertise for a wide variety of surgical procedures to ensure primate health and well-being and support research programs. All major survival surgical procedures are conducted in dedicated surgical facilities. The facilities are designed and equipped to meet the requirements or recommendations of the Federal Animal Welfare Regulations (CFR Title 9, Subchapter A), the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (Guide), and have been reviewed and evaluated by AAALAC International.