90 • Alternatives to Animal Use in Research, Testing, and Education 
reports are summarized in table 5-1; highlights 
of the studies follow. 
Polio 
The development of the polio vaccine exempli- 
fies the key role of primates in the research lab- 
oratory. Many thorough studies of polio in hu- 
mans had been made by the early 1900s, but the 
cause of the disease was still unknown. A break- 
through occurred in 1908, when scientists exper- 
imentally transmitted the poliovirus to monkeys 
for the first time. Studies in rhesus and cynomolgus 
monkeys and in chimpanzees followed isolation 
of the virus, but a vaccine remained elusive. Af- 
ter nearly a half-century, researchers were able 
Table 5-1.— Some Uses of Nonhuman Primates in Research on 
Human Health and Disease 
Human health concern 
Primate experimental model 
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome 
(AIDS) 
Atherosclerosis 
Balding 
Cancer from solid tumors 
Cholesterol gallstones 
Circadian rhythms 
Cornea transplant 
Dental implants 
Diabetes 
Dietary fats and heart disease 
Embryo transfer 
Eye damage from ultraviolet radiation . . 
Eye disorders in children 
Fetal alcohol syndrome 
Fetal surgery 
Genital herpes 
Gilbert’s syndrome 
Glaucoma 
Hearing impairment 
Hepatitis B 
Herpes-virus-induced cancer 
High blood pressure 
Hyaline membrane disease in newborns 
In vitro fertilization 
Infertility 
Inflammatory bowel disease 
Laser surgery on damaged nerves 
Leprosy 
Liver disorders 
Malaria 
Male and female behavior patterns 
Male birth control 
Menopausal problems 
Mother-infant behavior 
Motion sickness 
Nonhormonal fertility regulation 
Obesity 
Parkinson’s disease 
Polio 
Premature labor 
Rh factor disease 
Slow viruses 
Systemic lupus erythematosus 
Chimpanzee, African green monkey 
Cynomolgus monkey 
Stumptail monkey 
Chimpanzee 
Squirrel monkey 
Squirrel monkey 
Rhesus monkey, African green monkey, 
Stumptail monkey, Patas monkey, 
Cynomolgus monkey 
Pig-tailed monkey 
Celebes black macaque 
Cynomolgus monkey 
Rhesus monkey, Cynomolgus monkey 
Rhesus monkey 
Rhesus monkey 
Pig-tailed monkey 
Rhesus monkey 
African green monkey 
Bolivian squirrel monkey 
Rhesus monkey 
Rhesus monkey 
Rhesus monkey, Chimpanzee, African green 
monkey 
Owl monkey, Marmoset 
Cynomolgus monkey 
Rhesus monkey, Pig-tailed monkey 
Rhesus monkey, Chimpanzee, Baboon, 
Cynomolgus monkey 
Rhesus monkey 
Marmoset 
Baboon 
Sooty mangabey 
Rhesus monkey 
Chimpanzee, Owl monkey, Rhesus monkey 
Rhesus monkey 
Rhesus monkey, Cynomolgus monkey 
Rhesus monkey, Stumptail monkey 
Rhesus monkey 
Squirrel monkey 
Bonnet monkey, Chimpanzee 
Baboon 
Rhesus monkey 
Rhesus monkey, Cynomolgus monkey, 
Chimpanzee 
Rhesus monkey, Baboon 
Rhesus monkey 
Owl monkey, Squirrel monkey, Stumptail 
monkey 
Cynomolgus monkey 
SOURCES: Adapted from “Toward Better Health: The Role of Primates in Medical Research,” Primate News 21(1):1-24, 1984; 
and F. A. King and C. J. Yarbrough, "Medical and Behavioral Benefits From Primate Research,” Physiologist 28:75-87, 
1985. 
