The concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP) in serum from normal crab-eating monkeys (Macaca irus) were measured by means of a monkey-specific turbidimetric immunoassay (TIA), and the changes in the serum CRP concentrations in crab-eating monkeys inoculated with Bordetella bronchiseptica R-5 and measles virus (Ichinose or NK 3 strain) were also examined. The CRP concentrations in sera from 54 normal crab-eating monkeys ranged from 0 to 8.3 microg/ml (mean 2.2 +/- 1.9). No significant difference was found in the CRP concentrations between males and females (p > 0.05). The concentrations of CRP in the sera from four crab-eating monkeys inoculated intrabronchially with 10(9) live B. bronchiseptica increased gradually to a peak at 2 days after inoculation. The peak concentrations of CRP were from 102.4 to 313.2 microg/ml, 54-96 times the preinoculative values of 1.9-5.6 microg/ml. When the same four crab-eating monkeys were inoculated intrabronchially with measles virus 34 days after inoculation of B. bronchiseptica, the serum CRP concentrations did not increase. Monitoring of CRP is useful for assessing monkeys with acute B. bronchiseptica infection and will probably be of value in the diagnosis of other bacterial infections.