The collection of biomedical specimens from baboons papio sp kenya 1966

This report, the second in a series on field trips to Kenya, Africa, provides baseline information on the microbiology and parasitology of the baboon (Papio sp.) as this animal exists in its native habitat. Specimens were collected for bacteriology, mycology, parasitology, pathology, and virology as well as for a number of ancillary biomedical purposes from three major geographic areas in Kenya. Preliminary compilations of data and information obtained during the course of field studies indicate varying relationships between the presence of infective agents and parasites and the areas from which baboons were captured. It has been shown clearly that ecologic factors influence the physical appearance of the animal as well as their microbial flora and parasite fauna. The close spatial relationship of the baboon to man as well as to other animals, both wild and domestic, very probably accounts for an interchange of organisms and exerts influences on potentials for transmission and propagation of parasites. Data collected from such field studies, when integrated with those obtained as a result of longitudinal studies on baboons maintained in captivity over a five year period, plus various taxonomic and basic biomedical considerations, will be of paramount importance for establishing the baboon as a model for studies on human diseases.