Diarrhea rates and risk factors for developing chronic diarrhea in infant and juvenile rhesus monkeys.

Ten independent risk factors were evaluated in an effort to identify predictors of problem diarrhea at weaning and chronic diarrhea in infant and juvenile rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) at the California Primate Research Center. None of the variables proved to be a significant predictor of problem diarrhea at weaning; however, two of the variables were significant predictors for developing chronic diarrhea. Odds ratios, adjusted for other variables in the logistic regression model, showed that compared with females, males were nearly three times more likely to develop chronic diarrhea, and nursery-reared animals were 7.5 times more likely to develop chronic diarrhea than were breast-fed animals. The annual incidence rates for problem diarrhea at weaning for 1978, 1979, and 1980 were 49%, 37%, and 41%, respectively. A weighted average annual incidence rate for problem diarrhea at weaning for the 3-year period was 39%. The incidence rate for chronic diarrhea for the 3-year period was 49%.