Journal
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL PRIMATOLOGY
Volume 38, Issue 4, Pages 247-251Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0684.2009.00348.x
Keywords
Ape; fatal case; non-human primate; protozoa; Trypanosoma cruzi
Categories
Funding
- NIH/NCRR [P51 RR013986]
- Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research
- Research Facilities Improvement Program [C06 RR016228]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Background Chagas disease (CD) or American trypanosomiasis is caused by a hemoflagellate protozoan, Trypanosoma cruzi. This organism has been isolated from more than 100 mammalian species and several insect vectors demonstrating a wide host distribution and low host specificity. Methods A 23-year-old male chimpanzee died acutely and a complete necropsy was performed to evaluate gross and microscopic pathologic changes. After observation of trypanosomal amastigotes in the myocardium, PCR and immunohistochemistry was employed to confirm the diagnosis of T. cruzi. Results Gross findings were consistent with mild congestive heart failure. Microscopic findings included multifocal myocardial necrosis associated with severe lymphocytic to mixed inflammatory infiltrates, edema, and mild chronic interstitial fibrosis. Multifocal intracytoplasmic amastigotes morphologically consistent with T. cruzi were observed in cardiac myofibers. Trypanosoma cruzi was confirmed by PCR and immunohistochemistry. Conclusion We report, to the best of our knowledge, the first fatal spontaneous case of T. cruzi infection in a chimpanzee.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available