Dickerson Mary F, Astorga Nestor Gerardo, Astorga Nestor Rodrigo, Lewis Anne D
Center for Laboratory Animal Medicine and Care, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, USA; Office of Comparative Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
Department of Biological Sciences, St. Mary's University, One Camino Santa Maria, San Antonio, Texas, USA.
Comp Med. 2014 Aug;64(4):323-8.
Chagas disease (American trypanosomiasis) is caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. It is endemic in Latin America but also is found in the southern United States, particularly Texas and along the Gulf Coast. Typical clinical manifestations of Chagas disease are not well-characterized in rhesus macaques, but conduction abnormalities, myocarditis, and encephalitis and megaesophagus have been described. Here we report 2 cases of Chagas disease in rhesus macaques housed in the northwestern United States. The first case involved a geriatric male macaque with cardiomegaly, diagnosed as dilated cardiomyopathy on ultrasonographic examination. Postmortem findings included myocarditis as well as ganglioneuritis in the esophagus, stomach, and colon. The second case affected a geriatric female macaque experimentally infected with SIV. She was euthanized for a protocol-related time point. Microscopic examination revealed chronic myocarditis with amastigotes present in the cardiomyocytes, ganglioneuritis, and opportunistic infections attributed to her immunocompromised status. Banked serum samples from both macaques had positive titers for T. cruzi. T. cruzi DNA was amplified by conventional PCR from multiple tissues from both animals. Review of their histories revealed that both animals had been obtained from facilities in South Texas more than 12 y earlier. Given the long period of clinical latency, Chagas disease may be more prevalent in rhesus macaques than typically has been reported. T. cruzi infection should be considered for animals with unexplained cardiac or gastrointestinal pathology and that originated from areas known to have a high risk for disease transmission.
恰加斯病（美洲锥虫病）由原生动物寄生虫克氏锥虫引起。该病在拉丁美洲为地方性疾病，但在美国南部也有发现，尤其是得克萨斯州以及墨西哥湾沿岸地区。恰加斯病在恒河猴中的典型临床表现尚无明确特征描述，但已有传导异常、心肌炎、脑炎和巨食管症的相关报道。在此，我们报告美国西北部饲养的2例恒河猴恰加斯病病例。首例病例为一只患有心脏肥大的老年雄性恒河猴，超声检查诊断为扩张型心肌病。尸检结果包括心肌炎以及食管、胃和结肠的神经节神经炎。第二例病例为一只实验感染了猴免疫缺陷病毒（SIV）的老年雌性恒河猴。因实验方案相关的时间点对其实施了安乐死。显微镜检查显示慢性心肌炎，心肌细胞内有无鞭毛体，存在神经节神经炎以及因免疫功能低下状态所致的机会性感染。两只恒河猴的储存血清样本克氏锥虫检测呈阳性。通过常规聚合酶链反应（PCR）从两只动物的多个组织中扩增出了克氏锥虫DNA。查阅它们的病史发现，这两只动物均于12年多以前从得克萨斯州南部的机构获得。鉴于临床潜伏期较长，恰加斯病在恒河猴中的实际患病率可能高于通常报道的水平。对于有不明原因心脏或胃肠道病变且来自已知疾病传播风险高的地区的动物，应考虑克氏锥虫感染。
