Ulcerative and granulomatous enteritis associated with Molineus torulosus parasitism in neotropical primates¹

Enterite ulcerativa e granulomatosa com parasitismo de Molineus torulosus em primatas neotropicais

ABSTRACT:

This paper reports eleven cases of ulcerative and granulomatous enteritis associated with Molineus torulosus parasitism in different species of neotropical primates of the Sapajus genus. All of the affected monkeys had been apprehended by the environmental police and were being treated in a rehabilitation center for wild animals. The clinical history was weight loss and debility. During the necropsy, several nodules were found on the duodenum and proximal jejunum wall, with ulcers on the adjacent intestinal mucosa, including the nodules in the pancreas of four monkeys. Histologically, eosinophilic granulomas were observed in the small intestine, associated with fibrosis, eggs and adult models of Trichostrongylidae, etiology consistent with Molineus torulosus. This study describes the first cases of parasitism in Sapajus flavius, a species previously considered extinct, but recently rediscovered, and presents the occurrence of M. torulosus in two other species, Sapajus libidinosus and Sapajus apella.

INDEX TERMS:
Enteritis; parasitism; Molineus torulosus; neotropical primates; Sapajus flavius; new world monkeys; parasite; pathology.