Macaques Grow Cautious After Disease Outbreak
Macaque monkeys that lived through a disease outbreak became more cautious about food that looked contaminated, suggesting experience can shape pathogen avoidance in primates as well as people.
Humans are not alone in changing their behaviour after living through a disease threat, according to a new study of macaque monkeys. The macaque pathogen avoidance study, published in Royal Society Open Science, found that monkeys that had lived through a serious disease outbreak became significantly more cautious about food that appeared contaminated, even though they did not know how the disease had spread. Researchers at the University of California San Diego led the work, which provides new insight into what scientists call the behavioural immune system, the set of behaviours that help animals reduce contact with germs.
The research grew out of an unexpected event at a primate sanctuary in southern Texas, where the team conducts behavioural studies. An outbreak there created a natural experiment, allowing the researchers to compare monkeys that had experienced the outbreak with others that had not. The animals that had lived through the outbreak were more likely to avoid food that looked dirty or otherwise risky. That caution persisted after the outbreak had passed, suggesting that early-life experience and disease exposure can leave a lasting mark on how animals judge risk in everyday choices.
How macaque pathogen avoidance was measured
The study, titled Early-life experience and disease exposure affect pathogen avoidance behaviour in macaques, was led by Stephan Kaufhold and Federico Rossano. Further work may test whether younger monkeys learn this caution by watching older animals, and how it changes their daily feeding choices. Its findings suggest that pathogen avoidance is not fixed, but can be shaped by what an animal has lived through. For researchers studying human behaviour, the work offers a useful comparison, showing similar patterns in a close relative. It also raises new questions about how long such caution lasts, whether it is passed on through social learning, and how it affects feeding and social life in wild and sanctuary groups.
Source: Phys.org
