Concentrations of C-reactive protein in normal monkeys (Macaca irus) and in monkeys inoculated with Bordetella bronchiseptica R-5 and measles virus

The concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP) in serum from normal crab-ea ting monkeys (Macaca irus) were measured by means of a monkey-specific turb idimetric immunoassay (TIA), and the changes in the serum CRP concentration s in crab-eating monkeys inoculated with Bordetella bronchiseptica R-5 and measles virus (Ichinose or NK 3 strain) were also examined. The CRP concent rations in sera from 54 normal crab-eating monkeys ranged from 0 to 8.3 mu g/ml (mean 2.2 +/- 1.9). No significant difference was found in the CRP con centrations between males and females (p > 0.05). The concentrations of CRP in the sera from four crab-eating monkeys inoculated intrabronchially with 10(9) live B. bronchiseptica increased gradually to a peak at 2 days after inoculation. The peak concentrations of CRP were from 102.4 to 313.2 mu g/ ml, 54-96 times the preinoculative values of 1.9-5.6 mu g/ml. When the same four crab-eating monkeys were inoculated intrabronchially with measles vir us 34 days after inoculation of B. bronchiseptica, the serum CRP concentrat ions did not increase. Monitoring of CRP is useful for assessing monkeys wi th acute B. bronchiseptica infection and will probably be of value in the d iagnosis of other bacterial infections.