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Source: https://money.yahoo.com/valley-fever-rips-arizona-breeding-164547654.html
After valley fever rips through Arizona breeding colony, questions are raised about monkey research
Rob O'Dell, USA TODAY
Tue, October 5, 2021, 2:17 PM·28 min read
The largest pigtailed macaque breeding facility in America — a key outpost connected to the University of Washington that has contributed research into HIV, Ebola, Zika, COVID-19 and other diseases — has been relying on a pool of monkeys tainted by infectious disease, a USA TODAY Network investigation has found.
Exposure to Valley fever, a common flu-like illness caused by fungus from the soil in the desert around Phoenix, could mean conclusions drawn about treatments for human diseases have been flawed.
At least two University of Washington reports say that monkeys infected with Valley fever threaten the reliability of research, and one of those studies states that pigtailed macaques with a history of Valley fever should not be used in HIV research, which makes up 35% to 50% of all studies involving the more than 1,000 monkeys housed in the primate center’s Arizona and Washington facilities.
At least 47 monkeys have died from with the illness over the past eight years, UW said in a statement.
The problem with Valley fever is that it can remain encased in the lungs, and even though a monkey may show no symptoms, the illness can recur when its immune system is suppressed during HIV research trials...
After valley fever rips through Arizona breeding colony, questions are raised about monkey research
Rob O'Dell, USA TODAY
Tue, October 5, 2021, 2:17 PM·28 min read
The largest pigtailed macaque breeding facility in America — a key outpost connected to the University of Washington that has contributed research into HIV, Ebola, Zika, COVID-19 and other diseases — has been relying on a pool of monkeys tainted by infectious disease, a USA TODAY Network investigation has found.
Exposure to Valley fever, a common flu-like illness caused by fungus from the soil in the desert around Phoenix, could mean conclusions drawn about treatments for human diseases have been flawed.
At least two University of Washington reports say that monkeys infected with Valley fever threaten the reliability of research, and one of those studies states that pigtailed macaques with a history of Valley fever should not be used in HIV research, which makes up 35% to 50% of all studies involving the more than 1,000 monkeys housed in the primate center’s Arizona and Washington facilities.
At least 47 monkeys have died from with the illness over the past eight years, UW said in a statement.
The problem with Valley fever is that it can remain encased in the lungs, and even though a monkey may show no symptoms, the illness can recur when its immune system is suppressed during HIV research trials...