The human‐ABO blood groups of free‐ranging long‐tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) and parapatric rhesus macaques (M. mulatta) in Thailand

Abstract

Our data support the hypothesis that Indochinese rhesus macaques are hybrids between rhesus and long-tailed macaques in the past.

Role of histo-blood group antigens in primate enteric calicivirus infections

“…The RBCs of 13 different species were tested for their capacity to bind with NoV antigens but only the human and chimpanzee cells showed reactivity [22] . This is consistent with notion that only humans and anthropoid apes but not other primate species express ABH antigens on their RBCs [23,24] . Nonanthropoid primates including rhesus monkeys secrete HBGAs into mucosal fluids [24,25] .…”

“…This is consistent with notion that only humans and anthropoid apes but not other primate species express ABH antigens on their RBCs [23,24] . Nonanthropoid primates including rhesus monkeys secrete HBGAs into mucosal fluids [24,25] . Such an inherent difference between the rhesus and homo species is thought to be due to evolutionary pressures that asserted themselves during last 5 millions years to alleles encoding the blood groups [5] .…”

Genetic Diversity and Histo-Blood Group Antigen Interactions of Rhesus Enteric Caliciviruses

“…On the other hand, Malaivijitnond et al described the polymorphism of the ABO blood group in rhesus macaques in Thailand, although variation among troops from different geographic locations was significant (30). Since ABO typing is not included in the routine assessment of research colony macaques, the identification of a colony with polymorphic HBGA distribution may pose a challenge.…”

Hybridization and Stratification of Nuclear Genetic Variation in Macaca mulatta and M. fascicularis

“…This is supported by Hamada et al's (2004Hamada et al's ( , 2006 observation that northern Thai rhesus macaques have tail length, body size and mass measurements and a pelage coloring intermediate between those of Indian and Chinese rhesus macaques and those of parapatric long-tailed macaques. The greater similarity of Thai rhesus macaque blood group profiles and mtDNA haplotypes to those of parapatric long-tailed macaque than to those of Indian or Chinese rhesus macaques, however, suggests that Indochinese rhesus macaques are in fact products of hybridization events between adjoining populations of rhesus and long-tailed macaques in that region (Hamada et al 2004, Malaivijitnond et al 2008. Street et al (2007) have suggested that the evolutionary divergence of the rhesus and long-tailed macaques may be even more recent than previously deduced by morphological and mtDNA studies because of the sharing of over half the SNPs in the Macaca nuclear coding regions.…”

“…Parapatric interbreeding between rhesus and long-tailed macaque troops in Indochina where they co-occur has been suspected (Fooden 2000, Tosi et al 2002, Hamada et al 2004, Malaivijitnond et al 2008. Based on relative tail-length, Fooden (2000) reported a probable rhesus-long-tailed macaque hybrid zone in northern Thailand between latitudes 15-20° N. Tosi et al (2002) hypothesized that during the Pleistocene, long-tailed macaques in Indochina experienced male-mediated gene flow from rhesus macaque groups.…”