Massive visceral Pentastomiasis in a long-tailed macaque - an incidental finding

Abstract

Background An unusual case of visceral pentastomiasis in a male adult long-tailed macaque imported from China is reported. Methods The monkey was part of a toxicologic study. A massive accumulation of C-shaped parasites in various visceral organs was found post-mortem. Results Based on the morphology of the nymphs, pentastomiasis was diagnosed etiopathologically. The pentastome genus and species was identified as Armillifer agkistrodontis by PCR and respective sequencing. Conclusion Molecular diagnostic methods are necessary tools to determine the exact species involved. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S.