Spontaneous lymphoma associated with Herpesvirus saimiri in owl monkeys

Two cases of lymphoma and one case of lymphoproliferative disease were found in a group of 7 owl monkeys imported into our colony as a single group. Herpesvirus saimiri (HVS) was isolated from the tumor cells of 1 lymphoma by cocultivation and from kidney cell cultures from the monkey with lymphoproliferative disease. Antibody to HVS was found in serum samples from 2 monkeys positive for HVS but not in the sera from the 4 clinically normal monkeys. Antibody to Epstein-Barr virus-infected cells was also found in the serum from the animal with lymphoma.