Three novel neoplasms in Nancy Ma's owl monkeys (Aotus nancymaae)

Our plain-English summary of Three novel neoplasms in Nancy Ma's owl monkeys (Aotus nancymaae), by R.L. Bacon, C.L. Hodo, S.J. Buchl, et al (Veterinary Pathology, 2025).

The study

• Authors: R.L. Bacon, C.L. Hodo, S.J. Buchl, M.E. Hensel
• Journal: Veterinary Pathology
• Published: 2025;62(3):371-375
• Type of article: Case report
• Cited by: 1 article, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

Neoplasms are only sporadically reported in New World primates and rarely in owl monkeys (Aotus spp.), specifically. Previous reports of neoplasms in owl monkeys are primarily restricted to lymphoma induced by Herpesvirus saimiri infection, although other tumors in the central nervous, genitourinary, gastrointestinal, and endocrine systems have been sporadically reported. Herein, we describe 3 previously unreported neoplasms in owl monkeys (Aotus nancymaae) including a pericardial mesothelioma in a 6-year-old male, a nephroblastoma in a 2-year-old male, and a cervical neoplasm with characteristics of an epithelioid trophoblastic tumor in a 4-year-old female, all occurring in the same closed breeding colony at a research facility in central Texas. Reporting of spontaneously occurring neoplasms in research colony populations is important for identifying potential animal models of human diseases and for improving colony management and species health.

In plain English

This brief veterinary report described three tumors in Nancy Ma's owl monkeys (Aotus nancymaae) from a closed research breeding colony at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas. The authors reviewed adult necropsy records from 2008 to 2021. Spontaneous tumors were found in 16 of 225 cases, mostly in the digestive system, and the three found outside it are described here. A 6-year-old male that died suddenly had a diffuse epithelioid mesothelioma covering the pericardial sac and the surface of the heart. Staining for pancytokeratin and vimentin confirmed it, and no distant spread was found. A 2-year-old male had a nephroblastoma (a kidney tumor) removed, then developed kidney failure and was euthanized. A 4-year-old female had a cervical tumor that the authors presumed to be an epithelioid trophoblastic tumor; confirmatory staining was unreliable in this species. The study did not measure asbestos or any other exposure. The authors noted that mesothelioma is associated with asbestos in humans but that no such link has been made for naturally occurring cases in animals. They concluded that documenting these tumors adds to knowledge of these animals.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Veterinary case series (brief communication) of three animals, identified by a retrospective review of necropsy records
• Who was studied: Three Nancy Ma's owl monkeys (Aotus nancymaae): a 6-year-old male, a 2-year-old male and a 4-year-old female. They were identified among 225 adult owl monkey necropsy cases from 2008 to 2021 at the Michale E. Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
• Exposure: No asbestos or other exposure was studied. The tumors were described as spontaneous, and the animals were experimentally naive colony animals.
• Main results:
  • Among the 225 necropsy cases reviewed, spontaneous neoplasia was identified in 16, and 3 of these were outside the digestive system.
  • Case 1, a 6-year-old male with no record of previous clinical disease, was diagnosed with a diffuse epithelioid mesothelioma involving the pericardial sac and the surface of the heart.
  • In case 1, the tumor cells reacted to pancytokeratin and vimentin stains, which confirmed the diagnosis. Despite tumor invasion of blood vessels, no distant metastases were seen.
  • Case 2, a 2-year-old male, had a 5 by 3.2 by 3.4 cm mass replacing the left kidney, diagnosed as a nephroblastoma. Less than 1 month after surgery, renal disease developed (blood urea nitrogen over 140 mg/dl). The animal was euthanized, and no metastasis was found.
  • Case 3, a 4-year-old female euthanized after a cesarean section and bladder problems, had a cervical mass. The authors preferred a diagnosis of epithelioid trophoblastic tumor (ETT) over gestational choriocarcinoma and cervical adenocarcinoma.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that the report expands knowledge of tumors in owl monkeys and that documenting such tumors in nonhuman primates adds to knowledge of these animals and can improve colony management. They also noted that mesotheliomas are associated with asbestos exposure in humans, but that no similar link to asbestos has been made for naturally occurring cases in veterinary species.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • For case 3, staining for alpha-inhibin and human chorionic gonadotropin was attempted but could not be interpreted, so the ETT diagnosis remained presumptive.
  • Human chorionic gonadotropin levels, which often support an ETT diagnosis in humans, were not measured in case 3.
  • One of the three cases was evaluated entirely from archived material.

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Neoplasm, Pericardial Mesothelioma, Epithelioid.

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