Fetal alcohol syndrome: a new primate model for binge drinking and its relevance to human ethanol teratogenesis.

Ethanol was administered nasogastrically to four gravid pigtailed macaques (Macaca nemestrina) weekly from 40 days after conception to term. Three animals received 2.5 gm/kg and one received 4.1 gm/kg per dose. One animal aborted after the first dose of 2.5 gm/kg ethanol. Serum ethanol and acetaldehyde were measured after each dose in the other three animals, who carried to term. After delivery the infants were assessed for growth, dysmorphic features, and neurologic and psychological development over six months and were compared with 10 age- and sex-matched controls. Complete autopsies with neuropathologic examinations were performed. The animal exposed to the high dose had neurologic, developmental, and facial anomalies similar to those seen in human fetal alcohol syndrome. One of the animals exposed to the more moderate dosage was similarly but less severely affected. The study demonstrates that a model for binge drinking and fetal alcohol syndrome can be developed in a primate. The model should be useful in exploring the mechanisms of teratogenesis and in determining the median effective dose for the production of the various anomalies seen in fetal alcohol syndrome.