title: Echinococcus multilocularis infection of several Old World monkey species in a breeding enclosure.
abstract: Echinococcus multilocularis, the causative agent of alveolar echinococcosis, is spreading geographically in Europe, and prevalence rates in foxes, the final host, are increasing. Concomitantly, the rate of newly diagnosed human infections has already doubled in Germany. We report a cluster of alveolar echinococcosis in 24 animals of different Old World monkey species (15 cynomolgus monkeys, 5 rhesus monkeys, and 4 lion-tailed macaques) in northern Germany. The cluster described is the largest ever recorded in a single center. Cynomolgus monkeys were very susceptible and constituted the monkey species at highest risk, indicating that this species could act as a sentinel animal for the transmission of alveolar echinococcosis in zoological gardens or similar institutions.
authors.affiliation: Consiliary Laboratory for Echinococcosis, Institute of Hygiene and Microbiology, University of Würzburg, Germany. dtappe@hygiene.uni-wuerzburg.de
authors.forename: Dennis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tappe
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Brehm
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Frosch
authors.forename: Anja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Blankenburg
authors.forename: Annette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schrod
authors.forename: Franz-Josef
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Kaup
authors.forename: Kerstin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mätz-Rensing
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002520:Cercopithecidae / Q000469:parasitology*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D004443:Echinococcosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D048210:Echinococcus multilocularis / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D008992:Monkey Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology