Abstract. A 2.5-year-old captive female mandrill (Papio sphinx) died following a protracted course of intermittent abdominal bloat, diarrhea, and severe weight loss. Necropsy revealed emaciation and marked gastrointestinal distention with gas and ingesta. Histologic evaluation revealed severe diffuse granulomatous enterocolitis and mesenteric lymphadenitis with massive numbers of 1-2-m acid-fast bacilli within macrophages. Additionally, there was moderate to severe multifocal myocardial and vascular amyloidosis, moderate multifocal pyogranulomatous interstitial pneumonia with no acid-fast bacteria, and moderate multifocal glossal candidiasis. Samples of feces, ileum, and colon were positive for Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis by radiometric culture and a polymerase chain reaction-amplified DNA probe specific for the insertion sequence IS900 of this organism.Paratuberculosis (Johne's disease) is a chronic progressive granulomatous intestinal disease of wild and domestic ruminants with a worldwide distribution. 1-3 The disease is caused by infection with Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis, an acid-fast, weakly gram-positive bacillus. 2,3 Experimental infections with this organism have been produced in pigs, horses, pigeons, chickens, and laboratory animals including mice, hamsters, guinea pigs, and rabbits. 1,3,5,[6][7][8][9]11,12,14 One report of naturally occurring confirmed paratuberculosis in nonhuman primates has been described in the literature. 10 The outbreak affected 29 of 38 individuals in a colony of stumptail macaques (Macaca arctoides). The clinical and pathologic features of paratuberculosis in this species were comparable with those reported for paratuberculosis in ruminants and M. a. subsp. avium infections in primates. In recent years, M. a. paratuberculosis has also been implicated as a possible cause of Crohn's disease in humans, although a causal relationship has not been definitively established. 1,2,13 This report documents a case of paratuberculosis in a mandrill (Papio sphinx).A 21-month-old intact female mandrill arrived at Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, Illinois, and was placed in 30-day quarantine. Routine physical examination, thoracic and abdominal radiographs, a serum chemistry profile, and a complete blood count were within normal limits. An intradermal tuberculin test and fecal cultures for enteric pathogens including Campylobacter sp. and Salmonella spp. were negative. Serology was reported as negative for herpesvirus SA8, Herpes simiae (Herpes B), measles, simian immunodeficiency virus, simian retroviruses (1, 2, and 5), simian T-cell leu- kemia virus-1, and encephalomyocarditis virus, while positive for cytomegalovirus. Approximately 2 months after arrival, this individual developed intermittent watery diarrhea, abdominal bloat, and progressive weight loss. The animal's condition continued to decline in spite of enhanced caloric supplementation via nasogastric tube in advanced stages of disease. Death occurred shortly after exploratory surgery was performed 7 mon...

Nonhuman primates can be naturally infected with a plethora of viruses with zoonotic potential, including retroviruses. These simian viruses present risks to both captive nonhuman primate populations and persons exposed to nonhuman primates. Simian retroviruses, including simian immunodeficiency virus, simian type D retrovirus, simian T-lymphotropic virus, and gibbon ape leukemia virus, have been shown to cause clinical disease in nonhuman primates. In contrast, simian foamy virus, a retrovirus that is highly prevalent in most nonhuman primates, has not been associated with clinical disease in naturally infected primates. Although it has been shown that human retrovirus infections with human T-lymphotropic virus and human immunodeficiency virus originated through multiple independent introductions of simian retroviruses into human populations that then spread globally, little is known about the frequency of such zoonotic events. In this article, exogenous simian retroviruses are reviewed as a concern for zoo and wildlife veterinarians, primate handlers, other persons in direct contact with nonhuman primates, and other nonhuman primates in a collection. The health implications for individual animals as well as managed populations in zoos and research institutions are discussed, the cross-species transmission and zoonotic disease potential of simian retroviruses are described, and suggestions for working safely with nonhuman primates are provided.

The effects of the addition of color to a dry primate diet on the feeding behavior of orangutans were studied. Purina Monkey Chow was dipped in food coloring (red, green, blue, orange). Colored and plain chow was offered to the subjects, three adults, and two juveniles. Time to eat or lose interest in feeding, quantity, and color of pieces of chow handled and eaten were recorded for each group. The juveniles' consumption of chow increased when offered colored chow, and adults required less time to consume their food. One juvenile showed a significant preference for red monkey chow.

Serum chemistry analyses were compared between captive and free-ranging giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis) in an attempt to better understand some of the medical issues seen with captive giraffes. Illnesses, including peracute mortality, energy malnutrition, pancreatic disease, urolithiasis, hoof disease, and severe intestinal parasitism, may be related to zoo nutrition and management issues. Serum samples were collected from 20 captive giraffes at 10 United States institutions. Thirteen of the captive animal samples were collected from animals trained for blood collection; seven were banked samples obtained from a previous serum collection. These samples were compared with serum samples collected from 24 free-ranging giraffes in South Africa. Differences between captive and free-ranging giraffes, males and females, and adults and subadults were analyzed by using a 2 x 2 x 2 factorial and Fisher's least significant difference for mean separation; when necessary variables were ranked and analyzed via analysis of variance. Potassium and bilirubin concentrations and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activities were different between captive and free-ranging giraffes, but all fell within normal bovid reference ranges. The average glucose concentration was significantly elevated in free-ranging giraffes (161 mg/dl) compared with captive giraffes (113 mg/dl). All giraffes in this study had glucose concentrations higher than bovine (42-75 mg/ dl) and caprine (48-76 mg/dl) reference ranges. Differences were also seen in lipase, chloride, and magnesium though these findings are likely not clinically significant. There were no differences detected between sexes. Adults had higher concentrations of potassium, total protein, globulins, and chloride and higher gamma glutamyltransferase activities, whereas subadults had higher concentrations of phosphorus. Within the captive group, nonimmobilized animals had higher concentrations of total protein and globulins. Captive giraffe diets need further investigation to determine if the differences seen in this study, especially glucose and bilirubin concentrations and ALT activities, may result in some health problems often seen in captive giraffes.