Prevalence of Hypermucoid Klebsiella pneumoniae among Wild-caught and Captive Vervet Monkeys (Chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus) on the Island of St. Kitts

Abstract

ABSTRACT:Invasive, hypermucoid Klebsiella pneumoniae causes severe abscess formation in humans and in certain species of nonhuman primates. We conducted a survey of captive and wild-caught African green monkeys, or vervets (Chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus), on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts to assess their carriage rate of Klebsiella spp. Forty percent of rectal swabs from captive monkeys were positive for K. pneumoniae, and 20% of wild-caught animals were positive. Two wild-caught monkeys (4%) were positive for K. oxytoca, and one monkey (2%) was found to be infected with a hypermucoid rmpA-positive K. pneumoniae strain. Genotyping of this strain showed that it had an indistinguishable random amplified polymorphic DNA fingerprint to a strain that caused fatal abscessation in several African green monkeys in a research colony in the USA in 2005. This is the first report of hypermucoid K. pneumoniae isolation from a wild population of nonhuman primates and represents a potential health risk to these animals, as well as to the humans who come in contact with them.

Fever versus fever: The role of host and vector susceptibility and interspecific competition in shaping the current and future distributions of the sylvatic cycles of dengue virus and yellow fever virus

“…In particular, African green monkeys ( Chlorocebus sabaeus ) have become highly abundant on various Caribbean islands. At present there are approximately 40,000 African green monkeys living on St. Kitts, similar to the number of human inhabitants of the island, and concerns have been raised about their role as reservoirs of disease (Whitehouse et al, 2010). …”

Klebsiellapneumoniae Infection in a Squirrel Monkey (Saimirisciureus) in Grenada, West Indies

“…Multisystemic abscesses have been reported in African Green monkeys (Chlorocebusaethiops) in a facility of the US Army Medical Research Institute recently (Twenhafel et al, 2008). A hypermucoviscosity phenotype of K.pneumoniae has been found to cause invasive infections in nonhuman primaes in the US and in the Caribbean Island of St. Kitts in the recent years (Whitehouse et al, 2010, Burke et al 2009). This emerging phenotype can cause abscesses, often associated with metastatic complications (Whitehouse et al, 2010).…”

“…A hypermucoviscosity phenotype of K.pneumoniae has been found to cause invasive infections in nonhuman primaes in the US and in the Caribbean Island of St. Kitts in the recent years (Whitehouse et al, 2010, Burke et al 2009). This emerging phenotype can cause abscesses, often associated with metastatic complications (Whitehouse et al, 2010). In our study, the isolation was moderately mucoid, and not "hypermucoid".…”

“…Multisystemic abscesses due to invasive K. Pneumoniae strains have been reported in African Green monkeys in the United States recently (Twenhafel et al, 2008). Also, in the recent past, wild-caught and captive monkeys in the Caribbean Island of St. Kitts have been shown to harbor potentially pathogenic strains of K. pneumoniae (Whitehouse et al, 2010). In all these contexts, international interest on this organism as a cause of disease in non-human primates exists.…”

Phenotypic and Genotypic Characterization of Klebsiella Pneumoniae Isolates Recovered From Nonhuman Primates

“…On the island of St. Kitts, West Indies, the HMV phenotype has been reported in African green monkeys (Chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus) and humans (causing nearly fatal infection in a man with liver and brain abscesses; Doud et al, 2009;Whitehouse et al, 2010). African green (vervet) monkeys are commonly used in biomedical research facilities worldwide, and fatal multisystemic abscesses due to rmpA + HMV serotypes of K. pneumoniae have been reported in the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (Twenhafel et al, 2008).…”