Eosinophilic bronchitis-like lesion as the cause of death in a Macaca mulatta: a first case report

Asthma in an Adult Female Vervet Monkey (Chlorocebus sabaeus)

A 9-y-old, colony-bred, female vervet monkey (Chlorocebus sabaeus) presented with a 6-y history of open-mouth breathing, tachypnea, and sibilant wheezing. These symptoms did not significantly affect her activity or quality of life. Thoracic radiographs and results of bronchoalveolar lavage supported the diagnosis of asthma. Treatment comprising intramuscular prednisolone (tapered over 2 mo from twice daily to every other day), inhaled salmeterol-fluticasone (25 μg-250 μg per actuation twice daily) by mask, and a metered dose inhaler was successful in restoring a normal respiratory pattern. Despite the availability of several primate models of human asthma, this case represents the first report of spontaneous asthma in a NHP.

Pleuro-pulmonary endometriosis in baboons (Papio spp.): insights into pathogenesis

BACKGROUND

Human pleuro-pulmonary endometriosis (PPE) is rare. Recently, we identified several cases of abdominal endometriosis in baboons that developed PPE.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Ten cases of PPE and four of intra-abdominal endometriosis (three simultaneous) were identified at necropsy in baboons (Papio spp.) found dead due to natural causes. The endometriotic lesions were evaluated using immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS

The stromal (CD10+) and epithelial cells in intra-abdominal cases were estrogen and progesterone receptor (ER/PR) positive and thyroid transcription factor 1 (TTF-1) negative similar to that seen in humans. In contrast, the PPE cases displayed TTF-1-positive epithelium lining the cystic spaces, while the stroma was ER/PR positive similar to that in abdominal endometriosis. Both lymph nodes and spindle cell rests in lung interstitium contained ER/PR-positive stromal cells.

CONCLUSIONS

The lung lesions were different from the abdominal lesions in having a TTF-1-positive lining epithelium. The deep pulmonary interstitial and lymph node endometrial stromal rests probably arrive via lymphatic route. The endometrial stroma is the driving force in PPE upon which the lung-specific epithelium condenses and may require a novel approach to therapy.

Multisystemic eosinophilia resembling hypereosinophilic syndrome in a colony-bred owl monkey (Aotus vociferans)

In animals, multisystemic eosinophilic disease is a rare condition characterized by eosinophilic and lymphoplasmacytic infiltrates in various organs. This disorder resembles the human disease known as hypereosinophilic syndrome, a condition defined by prolonged peripheral eosinophilia in the absence of recognizable etiology and associated with end-organ damage. In this report we describe a research-naïve, colony-born, juvenile female owl monkey (Aotus vociferans) who presented clinically with severe respiratory distress and histologically with multiple end-organ infiltration with phenotypically mature eosinophils, plasma cells, and lymphocytes. No tumors or infectious agents were noted either macroscopically or microscopically. Cultures from lung samples revealed no bacteria or fungi. Histologic examination of lung, heart, thymus, liver, spleen, kidney, adrenal, pancreas, stomach, small intestine, and colon revealed no migrating nematode larvae, other parasites, or foreign material that might trigger eosinophilia, nor was there any evidence of or history consistent with an allergic etiology. Given that we ruled out most exogenous and endogenous triggers of eosinophilia, the signs, symptoms, and pathologic findings support the diagnosis of multisystemic eosinophilic disease. To our knowledge, this report is the first description of presumptive hypereosinophilic syndrome in a nonhuman primate.