How Primates Are Aiding the Fight Against COVID-19 in Louisiana

A research center in Louisiana is examining COVID-19 through the use of monkeys. By studying the monkeys and their tissues, researchers hope to learn more about the disease.

There are 5,000 monkeys at the Tulane National Research Center. The research center is near a small Louisiana town north of New Orleans.

Most of the primates² are a sort of monkey called rhesus macaques. They are designated for use in scientific research, including experiments for COVID-19.

The research center has high-level, biosafety laboratories that are able to control biological threat agents like anthrax, an infectious bacterium³. It was well-positioned to quickly change to COVID-19 research when the coronavirus pandemic hit.

Skip Bohm is a director and chief animal medical officer at the Tulane center. Bohm said the primates' DNA⁴ and physiological⁵ make-up makes them ideal models for human comparison when studying diseases.

Bohm told Reuters non-human primates are really important to understand the disease and how it affects an organism. They are also important for comparing outcomes like treatments or vaccinations⁶.

Rhesus macaques are the primate¹ most commonly used for scientific research. They make up the majority of the center's colony. They also make up the majority of the 200 adult animals used in its coronavirus experiments over the past year.

The National Academy of Sciences scientific journal published one study by the center in February. The study found older, overweight humans with a more severe COVID-19 infection breathed out more liquid droplets⁸. Due to this, they spread the disease more than others.

Chad Roy is one of the writers on the study. He is also the center's director of infectious disease aerobiology. Aerobiology is the study of pollutants⁹ or viruses that travel in the air. He said primates were at the center of this study.

In the future, the center plans to study what is called "long COVID." This happens when a patient remains¹⁰ unwell long after first becoming infected. This effects about 10 percent of patients.

The center's director Jay Rapport¹¹ said, "there are many different therapeutics that are coming online that need to be tested, and with the network that we have, we can compare one treatment to another."

He was describing the center's role in organizing the work of the seven United States' primate research centers on COVID-19 research.

Once experiments end, the Tulane center will humanely¹² kill the monkeys for tissue collection. This permits researchers to study COVID-19's effects on the whole body.

Kathy Guillermo work with the laboratory investigations¹³ at the People for the Ethical¹⁴ Treatment of Animals, also known as PETA. PETA is a nonprofit organization that fights to protect animal rights. Guillermo said primates should not be used for testing.

"They wouldn't have to kill them if they didn't use them," she said. "What we're going to learn of value is going to be what we learn from human beings," she added.

Words in This Story

monkey – n. a sort of animal that is closely related to apes and humans and that has a long tail and usually lives in trees

droplet⁷ – n. a very small drop of liquid

primate – n. any member of the group of animals that includes human beings, apes, and monkeys

therapeutics – n. a branch of medicine that deals with the ways to treat illnesses

1 primate   

n.灵长类（目）动物，首席主教；adj.首要的

参考例句：

• 14 percent of primate species are highly endangered.14%的灵长类物种处于高度濒危状态。
• The woolly spider monkey is the largest primate in the Americas.绒毛蛛猴是美洲最大的灵长类动物。

2 primates   

primate的复数

参考例句：

• Primates are alert, inquisitive animals. 灵长目动物是机灵、好奇的动物。
• Consciousness or cerebration has been said to have emerged in the evolution of higher primates. 据说意识或思考在较高级灵长类的进化中已出现。

3 bacterium   

n.(pl.)bacteria 细菌

参考例句：

• The bacterium possibly goes in the human body by the mouth.细菌可能通过口进入人体。
• A bacterium is identified as the cause for his duodenal ulcer.一种细菌被断定为造成他十二指肠溃疡的根源。

4 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

5 physiological   

adj.生理学的，生理学上的

参考例句：

• He bought a physiological book.他买了一本生理学方面的书。
• Every individual has a physiological requirement for each nutrient.每个人对每种营养成分都有一种生理上的需要。

6 vaccinations   

n.种痘，接种( vaccination的名词复数 )；牛痘疤

参考例句：

• Vaccinations ensure one against diseases. 接种疫苗可以预防疾病。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I read some publicity about vaccinations while waiting my turn at the doctor's. 在医生那儿候诊时，我读了一些关于接种疫苗的宣传。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 droplet   

n.小滴，飞沫

参考例句：

• The rate of droplet growth under different conditions can be evaluated.可以计算在不同条件下的云滴增长率。
• The test results showed that increasing droplet size was associated with better stability.试验结果表明，增加液滴尺寸将使稳定性提高。

8 droplets   

n.小滴( droplet的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Droplets of sweat were welling up on his forehead. 他额头上冒出了滴滴汗珠。 来自辞典例句
• In constrast, exhaled smoke contains relatively large water droplets and appears white. 相反，从人嘴里呼出的烟则包含相当大的水滴，所以呈白色。 来自辞典例句

9 pollutants   

污染物质（尤指工业废物）( pollutant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Pollutants are constantly being released into the atmosphere. 污染物质正在不断地被排放到大气中去。
• The 1987 Amendments limit 301(g) discharges to a few well-studied nonconventional pollutants. 1987年的修正案把第301条（g）的普通排放限制施加在一些认真研究过的几种非常规污染物上。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

10 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

11 rapport   

n.和睦，意见一致

参考例句：

• She has an excellent rapport with her staff.她跟她职员的关系非常融洽。
• We developed a high degree of trust and a considerable personal rapport.我们发展了高度的互相信任和不错的私人融洽关系。

12 humanely   

adv.仁慈地；人道地；富人情地；慈悲地

参考例句：

• Is the primary persona being treated humanely by the product? 该产品对待首要人物角色时是否有人情味？ 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• In any event, China's interest in treating criminals more humanely has limits. 无论如何，中国对更人道地对待罪犯的兴趣有限。 来自互联网

13 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

14 ethical   

adj.伦理的，道德的，合乎道德的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to get the youth to have a high ethical concept.必须使青年具有高度的道德观念。
• It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments.那是一场引发强烈的伦理道德争论的辩论。