title: Lethargy, ulcers, bronchopneumonia and death in two aged female bonnet macaques presumed to be caused by Cercopithicine herpes virus I.
abstract: Over the course of 4 weeks, two female aged bonnet macaque (Macaca radiata) group-housed females died after the dominant male was removed from the group and the newly dominant male persistently chased, caught and bred all females in the pen. The two aged affected females were observed exhibiting lethargy, dyspnea, with widespread necroulcerative lesions in and around the mouth, muzzle and bridge of their noses. Extensive ulcerative glossitis, necrotic bronchopneumonia with intra-nuclear inclusions and the absence of other evidence is highly suggestive that death was caused by an alphaherpes virus commonly known as herpes B virus. Herpes B virus is a potentially zoonotic disease periodically shed by macaques, which is structurally related to herpes simplex viruses I and II of humans. The emergence of fatal B virus to primates in this pen may have been associated with the combination of age and stress in the affected individuals.
authors.affiliation: Downstate Medical School, Division of Laboratory Animal Resources, Brooklyn, NY, USA. scharfba@umdnj.edu
authors.forename: Bruce A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Scharf
authors.forename: Cho-Hua
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Wan
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bluth
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Eberle
authors.forename: Elaine N
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Videan
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Jeremy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Coplan
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D001996:Bronchopneumonia / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000662:veterinary*; D006568:Herpesvirus 1, Cercopithecine; D007668:Kidney / Q000473:pathology; D053609:Lethargy / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology; D008255:Macaca radiata; D008992:Monkey Diseases / Q000821:virology*; D019226:Oral Ulcer / Q000662:veterinary / Q000821:virology; D012883:Skin Ulcer / Q000662:veterinary / Q000821:virology