Acute Bacterial Septicemia in a Critically Endangered Roloway Monkey in a Primate Breeding Center at the Accra Zoological Garden, Ghana: A Case Report

TL;DR

A critically endangered Roloway monkey died suddenly from bacterial septicemia and pneumonia at a Ghanaian zoo, highlighting the need for health monitoring in captive breeding programs.

Contribution

This case report documents β-hemolytic Streptococcus spp. as a cause of death in a captive Roloway monkey, emphasizing its relevance to conservation efforts.

Findings

The monkey died from acute fibrinous pneumonia, septicemia, and myocardial necrosis caused by β-hemolytic Streptococcus spp.

A uterine leiomyosarcoma was identified, potentially explaining the monkey's reproductive failure.

The case underscores the importance of health surveillance for beta-hemolytic streptococci in endangered captive monkeys.

Abstract

This case report explains the cause of death of a roloway monkey (Cercopithecus roloway), a critically endangered primate native to the Upper Guinea forests of West Africa, that was kept for captive breeding and conservation at the Accra Zoological Garden′s primate breeding center in Ghana. Sweetpea, a “15‐year‐old” female Roloway monkey, was found dead on September 21, 2018, without prior signs of illness. Gross and histopathological findings revealed acute fibrinous pneumonia, septicemia, and myocardial necrosis, while bacterial culture of lung tissue and thoracic fluid yielded β‐hemolytic Streptococcus spp., implicating it as the likely cause of death. Whereas species‐level identification was not performed due to resource limitations, isolation of this species in pure culture supports its implication in this case, leaning on the published knowledge of its primary role in bacterial septicemia and pneumonia and other soft tissue infections in monkeys, even in captivity. Roloway monkeys (Cercopithecus roloway) are critically endangered primates native to the Upper Guinea forests of West Africa. This report describes the sudden death of a 15‐year‐old female at the Accra Zoological Garden and the subsequent diagnostic investigation, which revealed β‐hemolytic Streptococcus spp. as the causative agent of acute pneumonia and septicemia. This case underscores the need for structured health monitoring in captive breeding programs and highlights veterinary and husbandry measures crucial to conservation efforts. Additionally, a uterine leiomyosarcoma was detected, which may explain Sweetpea′s failure to reproduce despite long‐term pairing. This case highlights the importance of surveillance for beta‐hemolytic streptococci in captive monkeys, more so the endangered species.

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