Outbreaks of toxoplasmosis in a captive breeding colony of squirrel monkeys.
Toxoplasma gondii is highly virulent in New World monkeys, but despite numerous outbreaks observed in captive populations there are few reports of molecular characterization of strains. In this article, we describe two outbreaks of toxoplasmosis that occurred in 2001 and 2006 in an outdoor captive breeding colony of squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) kept by the Institut Pasteur in French Guiana. A microsatellite DNA analysis of the biological samples collected in the 2001 and 2006 outbreaks showed that two different Toxoplasma strains were involved. The 2001 strain exhibited a type II genotype whereas the 2006 strain showed a combination of type I, type III and atypical alleles. Infection could be related to oocysts contaminating water or food, or to ingestion of rats by monkeys. In 2006, a second episode was observed 3 weeks after the first, and was believed to be related to direct contamination by tachyzoites of bronchopulmonary origin from dying monkeys of the first event. During both outbreaks, a total of 50 monkeys died and none recovered spontaneously, confirming the virulence of both type II and non-type II Toxoplasma strains in New World monkeys.
Laboratoire Parasitologie Mycologie EA 3593, Cayenne Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, University of the French West Indies and French Guiana, BP 6006, 97306 Cayenne, French Guiana.
Bernard
B
Carme
Daniel
D
Ajzenberg
Magalie
M
Demar
Stéphane
S
Simon
Marie Laure
ML
Dardé
Bertrand
B
Maubert
Benoît
B
de Thoisy
D000818:Animals; D001947:Breeding; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000662:veterinary*; D005838:Genotype; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D008992:Monkey Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D012453:Saimiri / Q000469:parasitology*; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000235:genetics; D014124:Toxoplasmosis, Animal / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D014774:Virulence