Resumen de Toxoplasmosis in squirrel monkeys: histological and immunohistochemical analysis

Márcia Cristina Ribeiro Andrade, Janice Mery Chicarino de Oliveira Coelho, Maria Regina Reis Amendoeira, Regiane Trigueiro Vicente, Célia Virgínia Pereira Cardoso, Paola Cristina Brandão Ferreira, Renato Sergio Marchevsky

• Necropsy findings in three cases of naturally occurring toxoplasmosis in squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) obtained as wild catches from the Amazon region were described. Histopathological evaluation of the liver, spleen, kidneys and mesenteric lymph nodes showed multiple foci of inflammation and necrosis. Typical, well-defined morphologic Toxoplasma gondii cysts and free forms of the parasite were found by immunoperoxidase staining within inflammatory infiltrates. The presence of T. gondii in the studied colony could severely influence the results of experiments performed in the animals.