A case of yellow fever in a brown howler (Alouatta fusca) in Southern Brazil.

Many brown howlers (Alouatta fusca) have died in a 3-month period in a subtropical forest in Southern Brazil. One was examined after a systemic illness. According to clinical signs, and necropsy and histopathology findings, yellow fever virus (YFV) infection was suspected. Tissue sections from liver, kidney, and lymphoid organs were screened by immunohistochemistry for YFV antigens. Cells within those tissues stained positively with a polyclonal antibody against YFV antigens (1:1,600 dilution), and yellow fever was diagnosed for the first time in the brown howler in the area.     

Light microscopical and ultrastructural characterization of black howler monkey (Alouatta caraya) ovarian follicles

The present study describes the morphological characteristics of black howler monkey (Alouatta caraya) ovarian follicles. One ovary of an adult healthy black howler monkey was collected and processed for light and electron microscopy. Primordial, primary, secondary, tertiary and pre-ovulatory follicles were evaluated for their morphometrical aspects. The ovary of black howler monkey presented a distinct conformation with a uniform distribution of the follicles mostly in the peripheric cortex. This black howler monkey ovary presented a total of 59 921 ovarian follicles. From this amount, 71.1% were classified as primordial, 18.9% as primary, 8.1% as secondary, 1.4% as tertiary and 0.5% as pre-ovulatory follicles. From all these developmental stages, the mean diameters of follicles, oocytes, oocytes nuclei and the mean number of granulosa cells are described. Moreover, primordial, primary and secondary follicles have been observed by electron microscopy.     

Isolation and genetic characterisation of Toxoplasma gondii from a red-handed howler monkey (Alouatta belzebul), a jaguarundi (Puma yagouaroundi), and a black-eared opossum (Didelphis aurita) from Brazil

Toxoplasma gondii isolates are highly diverse in domestic animals from Brazil. However, little is known about the genetics of this parasite from wild mammals in the same region. Reveal genetic similarity or difference of T. gondii among different animal populations is necessary for us to understand transmission of this parasite. Here we reported isolation and genetic characterisation of three T. gondii isolates from wild animals in Brazil. The parasite was isolated by bioassay in mice from tissues of a young male red handed howler monkey (Alouatta belzebul), an adult male jaguarundi (Puma yagouaroundi), and an adult female black-eared opossum (Didelphis aurita). The monkey and the jaguarundi had inhabited the Zoo of Parque Estadual Dois Irm?os, Pernambuco State, Northeastern Brazil, for 1 year and 8 years, respectively. The wild black-eared opossum was captured in S?o Paulo State, Southeastern Brazil, and euthanised for this study because it was seropositive for T. gondii (titre 1:100 by the modified agglutination test, MAT). Ten PCR-RFLP (Polymerase Chain Reaction-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism) markers, SAG1, SAG2, SAG3, BTUB, GRA6, c22-8, c29-2, L358, PK1 and Apico, were used to genotype the isolates. T. gondii was isolated from the brain and heart homogenate of the monkey, the muscle homogenate of the jaguarundi, and the heart homogenate of the black-eared opossum. This was the first isolation of T. gondii from a neotropical felid from Brazil. The isolate from the monkey (TgRhHmBr1) was not virulent in mice, whereas the isolates from the jaguarundi (TgJagBr1) and the black-eared opossum (TgOpBr1) were virulent in mice. The genotype of the isolate from the monkey has been identified in isolates from a goat and ten chickens in the same region of Brazil, suggesting that it may be a common lineage circulating in this region. The genotypes of the isolates from the jaguarundi and the black-eared opossum have not been previously reported. Although there are already 88 genotypes identified from a variety of animal hosts in Brazil, new genotypes are continuously being identified from different animal species, indicating an extremely high diversity of T. gondii in the population.     

Retrospective evaluation of renal disease in captive black howler monkeys (Alouatta caraya).

Six of 15 (40%) inactive medical records of adult black howler monkeys (Alouatta caraya) at one zoological institution included either a pre- or postmortem diagnosis of renal disease. In these six cases, significantly abnormal hematologic and serum chemistry values were reported at onset of azotemia, onset of clinical signs, and at euthanasia. Average age of onset of azotemia was 14.8 +/- 2.9 yr, with clinical signs of disease noted at 17 +/- 4.7 yr. In four of the cases (66.6%), azotemia was documented earlier than the onset of clinical signs of renal disease. Average duration of clinical disease was 2.83 +/- 1.6 yr, with an average age at euthanasia of 18 +/- 4.7 yr. Chronic tubulointerstitial nephritis with secondary glomerular sclerosis was present in all cases. Thirteen of an additional 20 institutions in the United States that have held Alouatta caraya responded to a survey for prevalence of renal disease. These institutions showed a lower prevalence (15.1%) of renal disease in complete, inactive records, a higher prevalence of glomerulonephritis, and similar significant clinicopathologic values.     

Polycystic ovary syndrome with endometrial hyperplasia in a cynomolgus monkey (Macaca fascicularis)

A 13-year-old, obese, female cynomolgus monkey (Macaca fascicularis) was observed in a 5-year neurobehavioral study and was humanely euthanatized for experimental purposes. During this observational study, the monkey was noted to ovulate only rarely (0-3 times a year), with a prolonged menstrual cycle length (up to 161 days), hyperandrogenism (androstenedione area under the curve in response to adrenocorticotropic hormone up to 27.64 ng/ml), and hyperinsulinemia (fasting insulin up to 65.85 microIU/ml). This animal's body mass index was 65.46 kg/m(2), with central obesity. On postmortem examination, the uterus was moderately enlarged, with an eccentric lumen and a broad-based endometrial polyp that consisted of complex glandular hyperplasia with atypia. Both ovaries contained many 2- to 3-mm follicles, without any corpora lutea. A diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome was made based on the clinical history, endocrinology, and gross and histopathologic findings.     

Nodular thyroid hyperplasia in a cynomolgus monkey

Nodular thyroid hyperplasia was found in a 4-year-old male cynomolgus monkey (Macaca fascicularis). The monkey was clinically normal; however, necropsy revealed multiple variably sized nodules in both lobes of the thyroid gland. In contrast to the fairly uniform diameter of the lumen of follicles in the surrounding gland, the diameter of the follicular lumen within the hyperplastic nodules was highly variable and ranged from nonexistent to cystlike. Occasionally, in the larger follicles there were papillary infoldings of epithelium. The hyperplastic nodules were partially encapsulated by a fibrous capsule and showed little compression of the surrounding tissue. The follicular cells and colloid comprising the hyperplastic nodule were immunohistochemically positively stained with the antibody for thyroglobulin. Ultrastructurally, the cells forming follicles had numerous microvilli along the luminal surface, and lysosomal bodies and dilated rough endoplasmic reticulum in the cytoplasm. All these morphologic findings are consistent with nodular thyroid hyperplasia, which is rare in nonhuman primates.     

Porencephaly in a cynomolgus monkey ( macaca fascicularis )

Porencephaly was observed in a female cynomolgus monkey (Macaca fascicularis) aged 5 years and 7 months. The cerebral hemisphere exhibited diffuse brownish excavation with partial defects of the full thickness of the hemispheric wall, and it constituted open channels between the lateral ventricular system and arachnoid space. In addition, the bilateral occipital lobe was slightly atrophied. Histopathologically, fibrous gliosis was spread out around the excavation area and its periphery. In the roof tissue over the cavity, small round cells were arranged in the laminae. They seemed to be neural or glial precursor cells because they were positive for Musashi 1 and negative for NeuN and GFAP. In the area of fibrous gliosis, hemosiderin or lipofuscin were deposited in the macrophages, and activated astroglias were observed extensively around the excavation area.     

Oral leiomyosarcoma in a woodchuck (Marmota monax)

We report the case of a 4-year-old female woodchuck (Marmota monax) which presented with a white, firm and discrete mass in the hard palate. The mass extended into the oral cavity but it was well separated from the surrounding tissues. Histology of the tumor showed a malignant mesenchymal tumor with pleomorphic spindle cells varying in degrees of differentiation and density. The neoplastic cells had moderate amounts of granular or fibrillar eosinophilic cytoplasm with indistinct cell margins. Nuclei were oval to elongated and frequently blunt-ended with vesicular chromatin. Immunohistochemical study showed that the neoplastic cells expressed vimentin and alpha-smooth muscle actin but did not express desmin, pan-cytokeratin, and S-100. Therefore, histology and immunohistochemistry revealed that the tumor was oral leiomyosarcoma. Oral cavity is an extremely rare site for leiomyosarcoma and the present case is the first report of spontaneous oral leiomyosarcoma in animals.