Description of vertebral and liver alveolar echinococcosis cases in Cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis)

Abstract

BackgroundEchinococcus multilocularis, the causative agent of alveolar echinococcosis, is a fox tapeworm widely distributed in Europe with an increase of endemic area in recent years. Many mammal species including humans and non-human primates can be infected by accidental ingestion of eggs.Case presentationIn March 2011, a 5-year-old zoo-raised male cynomolgus macaque (Macaca fascicularis) presented a paresis of the lower limbs which evolved into paralysis. Lesions in liver and vertebra were observed on tomography scan. E. multilocularis infection was diagnosed post-mortem by morphological and histological examination and detection of Em DNA by polymerase chain reaction. Serodiagnosis of other primates of the colony using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was negative. In June 2013, at necroscopy, a hepatic and a paravertebral masses were detected in a second cynomolgus macaque of the same colony. Serology and DNA isolated from hepatic and abdominal cysts confirmed E. multilocularis infection.ConclusionsWe described hear vertebral and liver localization of alveolar echinococcosis in non-human primates. The animals lived in an indoor/outdoor housing facility, where the probable mode of contamination is by ingestion of food foraging around the enclosure which could be contaminated with fox feces. Serological survey in the facility should allow us to estimate the risk of human contamination and the zoonotic risk of monkey infection due to environmental contamination.

Cestode infections in non-human primates suggest the existence of zoonotic cycles in the area surrounding the Strasbourg primatology center

“…This prevalence is high compared to the prevalence in humans, around 0.2% [20]. However, it is consistent with the numerous reports of alveolar echinococcosis cases in NHPs living in zoos or primatology centers in Europe and Japan [2, 5, 8, 26, 30, 35]. Given these data, alveolar echinococcosis might be considered an emerging infectious disease in captive NHPs [35].…”

“…Altogether, to our knowledge, at least 10 different larval cestode infections have been reported in previous studies to affect members of more than 20 different lemur or monkey species (Table 3) [1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11–13, 17, 22–27, 29, 30, 34–36, 38, 39]. In most of these studies, mortality rates were high, showing that the control of these infections might be of critical importance in maintaining the well-being of NHPs living in parks.…”

“…Some of these parasites are known for being able to infect NHPs belonging to several species including gorillas, lemurs and macaques [5, 6, 8, 11, 26, 30, 35]. Indeed, between 2009 and 2018, five cases of infections in NHPs living in the SPC caused by Echinococcus multilocularis , Taenia martis and T. crassiceps were described [6, 8]. Given the recurrences of these cases, parasitic infections in captive NHPs no longer appear exceptional, and one may wonder to what extent the environment exerts parasite pressure on these animals.…”