Journal article
Association between stress and bilateral symmetrical alopecia in free-ranging Formosan macaques in Mt. Longevity, Taiwan
- Abstract:
- Since 2013, a high incidence of bilateral symmetrical alopecia has been observed in free-ranging Formosan macaques (Macaca cyclopis) in Mt. Longevity, Taiwan. We hypothesized that stress induces alopecia in this population. To verify our hypothesis, we evaluated the histopathological characteristics of skin biopsy and used a validated enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for fecal glucocorticoid metabolite (FGM) analysis, which act as an indicator of stress experienced by the individual. Follicular densities were lower (2.1–3.0 mm2) in individuals with symmetrical alopecia than in those with normal hair conditions (4.7 mm2). Furthermore, anagen to catagen/telogen ratios were lower in individuals with alopecia (0–1.4) than in those with normal hair (4.0). The histopathological characteristics of alopecia were similar to those of telogen effluvium, which indicates that stress is one of the possible etiologies. On the basis of the analytical and biological validation of EIAs for FGM analysis, 11β-hydroxyetiocholanolone was considered suitable for monitoring adrenocortical activity in both sexes of Formosan macaques. The mean concentrations (standard error; sample size) of 11β-hydroxyetiocholanolone were 2.02 (0.17; n = 10) and 1.41 (0.10; n = 31) μg/g for individuals with and without alopecia, respectively. Furthermore, the results of logistic regression analysis show that 11β-hydroxyetiocholanolone (p = 0.012) concentration was positively associated with alopecia. Thus, stress was the most likely to trigger symmetrical alopecia in Formosan macaques in Mt. Longevity. Although stress can decrease the fitness of an individual, considering the population status of Formosan macaques in Taiwan is stable and alopecia was only observed in our study area, which is isolated from other populations, the impact on the total population of Formosan macaque in Taiwan is limited. Nonetheless, stress-induced immunosuppression and alopecia might affect the local abundance and increase zoonosis risk due to frequent human–macaque contact in Mt. Longevity. Future studies are suggested to focus on the causative factor of stress and the effects of stress and alopecia on the health and welfare in the Formosan macaques.
- Publication status:
- Published
- Peer review status:
- Peer reviewed
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(Preview, Version of record, 2.3MB, Terms of use)
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- Publisher copy:
- 10.1038/s41598-021-90725-2
Authors
- Publisher:
- Nature Research
- Journal:
- Scientific Reports More from this journal
- Volume:
- 11
- Article number:
- 11189
- Publication date:
- 2021-05-27
- Acceptance date:
- 2021-05-17
- DOI:
- EISSN:
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2045-2322
- Language:
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English
- Keywords:
- Pubs id:
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1181221
- Local pid:
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pubs:1181221
- Deposit date:
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2021-06-09
Terms of use
- Copyright holder:
- Chen et al.
- Copyright date:
- 2021
- Rights statement:
- Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
- Licence:
- CC Attribution (CC BY)
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