An oro-facial disease 'noma (cancrum oris)' in a Japanese monkey (Macaca fuscata): clinical signs, clinicopathological features, and response to treatment.
BACKGROUND
A Japanese monkey developed severe oro-facial lesions that were called noma in humans. Although extensive destruction of both the buccal regions occurred with rapid progress, author successfully treated the lesions with povidone-iodine, enrofloxacin, chymotrypsin, a glycyrrhizin preparation, and a basic fibroblast growth factor.


METHODS
Author clinicopathologically investigated this disease during the treatment.


RESULTS
In the subcutaneous and muscular tissues, the lesions developed characteristic changes such as dissolving collagen fibers and muscular tissues phagocytosed by giant and epitheloid cells. The monkey showed a notable increase in creatine kinase activities. The present examinations revealed severe invasive findings in muscular tissues, which were accompanied by infections of beta-hemolytic streptococcus Group C. This monkey was negative for simian immunodeficiency virus antibody; however, infection with simian D retrovirus was not ruled out.


CONCLUSIONS
Simian noma was a rapidly devastating disease, which destroyed the muscle tissues of oro-facial structure. Nonhuman primates are the only species that develop oro-facial lesions, corresponding to noma in humans.
Kimura
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Center for Experimental Animals, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi, Japan. kimura@nips.ac.jp
D000818:Animals; D001772:Blood Cell Count; D005145:Face / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D008251:Macaca / Q000382:microbiology*; D008297:Male; D008992:Monkey Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology*; D009625:Noma / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*