Which disease are monkeys and guinea pigs particularly predisposed to due to vitamin C deficiency?

The disease that monkeys and guinea pigs are particularly predisposed to due to vitamin C deficiency is scurvy. This condition arises because both species, like humans, are unable to synthesize their own vitamin C and depend on external sources to meet their nutritional needs.

Vitamin C is essential for the synthesis of collagen, an important protein that helps maintain the structural integrity of connective tissues, skin, blood vessels, and bones. A deficiency in vitamin C leads to the breakdown of collagen, which manifests in a variety of clinical signs associated with scurvy, including weakness, anemia, gum disease, and skin hemorrhages.

Monkeys and guinea pigs show a greater susceptibility to scurvy because their diets in captivity may not provide sufficient vitamin C, leading to clinical manifestations of the disease. This contrasts with other conditions listed, which are related to deficiencies in different vitamins or minerals, such as rickets (vitamin D deficiency), osteomalacia (often associated with vitamin D or calcium deficiency), and pellagra (niacin deficiency).