Necrotizing pancreatitis due to simian adenovirus type 31 in a rhesus monkey.

Simian adenovirus type 31 was isolated from pancreatic tissue of an 8-year-old male rhesus monkey that died as the result of acute necrotizing pancreatitis. Histologically, the pancreas showed wide-spread necrosis, extensive infiltration of polymorphonuclear leukocytes, and nuclear inclusions in pancreatic acinar cells. Large numbers of adenovirus particles were demonstrable in the acinar cells by electron microscopy. This is the second case of adenovirus-associated pancreatitis we have found in rhesus monkeys and the first case in which we attempted to isolate the virus. Our data indicate that adenovirus pancreatitis is a distinct entity in rhesus monkeys and may occur with greater frequency than is generally believed.