Ischiopagus tripus conjoined twins in a western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla).

Conjoined twinning is rare in man and non-human primates. The current report describes a case of ischiopagus tripus conjoined Western Lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla) twins. The female twins were joined at the umbilical and pelvic region, involving the liver, xiphoid, umbilicus, body wall and skin. Computed tomography revealed two complete spines. The combined pelvic space was formed by two sacra, each connected with two iliac bones. The twins were only conjoined by a common pubis. Cause of death was attributed to cardiac and circulatory collapse resulting from a large patent foramen ovale (8 mm in diameter) of one twin and neonatal asphyxia.

Oncocytic adrenocortical carcinoma in a putty-nosed monkey (Cercopithecus nictitans) with hyperadrenocorticism.

Oncocytic adrenocortical tumours are rare in man and have never been described in non-human primates. An oncocytic adrenocortical carcinoma was identified in an 18-year-old female putty-nosed monkey (Cercopithecus nictitans) with hyperadrenocorticism and invasive aspergillosis. Microscopically, the tumour consisted of large cells with abundant eosinophilic, granular cytoplasm containing numerous mitochondria as identified by electron microscopy. Tumour cells had large nuclei with occasional intranuclear cytoplasmic pseudoinclusions. Immunohistochemically, tumour cells expressed vimentin, synaptophysin and neuron-specific enolase, while they were negative for cytokeratin, chromogranin-A, melan-A and S100.

Invasive aspergillosis in a putty-nosed monkey (Cercopithecus nictitans) with adrenocortical Cushing's syndrome.

BACKGROUND: An 18-year-old captive female putty-nosed-monkey (Cercopithecus nictitans) with a history of long-term infertility and hyperglucocorticism was euthanized because of perforating thoracic trauma induced by group members and subsequent development of neurological signs. METHODS: Complete necropsy and histopathological examination of formalin-fixed tissue samples was carried out. RESULTS: The monkey showed invasive pulmonary and cerebral infection with Aspergillus fumigatus together with adrenocortical neoplasia and signs of Cushing's syndrome, such as alopecia with atrophic skin changes, evidence for diabetes mellitus and marked immunosuppression. CONCLUSIONS: Spontaneous endocrinopathies are rarely described in non-human primates. Here we report the first case of spontaneous adrenocortical hyperglucocorticism predisposing to systemic aspergillosis in a putty-nosed monkey.

Computed tomographic examination of South American sea lions (Otaria flavescens) with suspected Mycobacterium pinnipedii infection.

Ten South American sea lions (Otaria flavescens) were presented for clinical evaluation and diagnosis of tuberculosis following known exposure to Mycobacterium pinnipedii. CT was used to determine whether foci of calcification in mediastinal lymph nodes, typically associated with pinniped tuberculosis, could be detected and whether CT was a useful diagnostic modality, in conjunction with other tests, for the diagnosis of tuberculosis in this species. Blood was collected from the caudal gluteal vein of each animal for serological testing using commercially available serological tests (ElephantTB STAT-PAK and DPP Vet; Chembio Diagnostic Systems) and a multiantigen print immunoassay (MAPIA), carried out at Chembio to verify the in-house kits. In four of nine animals that underwent CT scanning, lesions consistent with pinniped tuberculosis were apparent and these were confirmed at subsequent postmortem examination. The five remaining animals did not show any abnormalities on CT, with three being negative on serological tests, which were considered to be normal and potentially used as reference images for healthy sea lions. One animal could not be CT scanned due to its large size and weight (510 kg).