Cotton-top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus) can serve as definitive hosts of the rodent metastrongyloid parasite Angiostrongylus dujardini and develop fatal infections.
Publisher DOI
PubMed ID
42404394
Abstract
Angiostrongylus dujardini is a heteroxenous metastrongyloid nematode that primarily inhabits the pulmonary arteries and the right heart of murid and cricetid rodents and uses gastropods as intermediate hosts. Although not considered highly pathogenic for rodents, this parasite has been reported to cause death in callitrichid monkeys, suricates and a psittaciform bird under human care. In contrast to rodents, shedding of first-stage larvae (L1) in the faeces has not been documented in these species; consequently, they have been regarded as accidental hosts. This study reports fatal A. dujardini infections in seven cotton-top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus) from a Swiss zoological garden between 2005 and 2024, and L1 shedding in one of the individuals. Five monkeys were found dead without prior clinical signs, while two showed weakness shortly before death. Gross pathological findings at necropsy included dark red pulmonary discoloration, lung nodules, intrathoracic effusion, right heart dilation and subepicardial haemorrhages. Histopathological examination revealed multifocal collection of thin-walled, embryonated nematode eggs at variable stages of development, along with fully developed larvae within the lumina of alveoli and pulmonary vessels, surrounded by granulomatous inflammation, consistent with granulomatous pneumonia and endarteritis in all cases. In the most recent fatal case, A. dujardini L1 were detected in the faeces, providing evidence that S. oedipus can act as a definitive host of this parasite, capable of environmental contamination. The diagnosis of A. dujardini infection was achieved by histopathological and molecular investigations of lung tissues and faecal larvae. This is the first report of A. dujardini infection with larval shedding in a non-human primate, confirming their role as potential definitive hosts, and underlining the need for heightened parasitological surveillance in captive primate populations.
Date Issued
2026
Publication Type
Article
Subjects
Angiostrongylus
•
Callitrichidae
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ITS2
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Nematode
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PCR
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Zoo
Language(s)
en
Journal
International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife
Publisher
Elsevier
ISSN
2213-2244
Access(Rights)
open.access