The California National Primate Research Center at UC Davis has been cited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for not preventing illness or injury to a number of rhesus macaque monkeys housed at the center three years ago, UC Davis officials reported today. The citation carried no fines or enforcement actions.

The USDA citation stemmed from the deaths of 19 animals in the primate center’s outdoor breeding colony in 2009 and 2010.

The deaths were related to infections, injuries and/or inadequate maternal care, common causes of mortality in outdoor colonies, especially among younger animals.

"We take our responsibility to care for these animals very seriously. We are committed to doing everything we can to improve," said Dallas Hyde, professor of veterinary medicine at UC Davis and the center's director.

Hyde said the mortality rate was within the norm for the facility, which houses 5,000 nonhuman primates, and is comparable to or better than that of similar facilities, including zoos.

In declining to levy a fine or impose enforcement action, the USDA noted the center’s ongoing commitment to continuous quality improvement. In recent years, the facility has added a second daily health inspection, instituted a mortality review committee, and made other programmatic and physical improvements. The center also has significant ongoing research efforts to reduce mortality and increase well-being in the colony.

The California National Primate Research Center is one of eight primate centers nationally supported by the National Institutes of Health. Major areas of research at the center include HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases, lung diseases such as asthma, Alzheimer's disease, autism, nutrition, and reproductive disorders. Research performed at the center provides necessary information on drug and vaccine safety, and new therapies to benefit human health and quality of life. In addition, the center is one of the foremost facilities in the world for studying primate behavior under natural conditions in its outdoor areas.