ABSTRACT
This chapter reports observations made on 40 Cotton-Top Tamarins (CTT) that have been examined endoscopically at 2- to 3-month intervals for a 6-year period (1985 to 1991). It describes what changes occur within the colon histologically during exacerbations and remissions of colitic episodes and explores the etiologic mechanisms of CTT idiopathic colitis and relate them to the known situations in the human form of the disease. The chapter discusses the development, presence, and characteristics of associated dysplastic changes that precede the presence of frank carcinoma. Idiopathic Colitis has been identified and studied for centuries; the lack of an animal model has made understanding of the natural history and pathogenesis of the disease difficult. The chapter examines the time course of CTT spontaneous colitis pathogenesis and progression. The sampling of CTT colons at 2- to 3-month intervals provided insight into the development of colitis over time that is generally not available in any animal population, including humans.
