Malignant fibrous histiocytoma in a bonnet macaque (Macaca radiata)

Spontaneous sarcomas, not associated with an underlying disease, appear to be relatively rare in nonhuman primates. Since 1970, there have been few reported cases of naturally-occurring sarcomas of any kind in these species. A malignant histiocytoma and malignant fibrous histiocytoma have been described in a rhesus macaque and baboon, respectively. A malignant fibrous histiocytoma is defined as a sarcoma of varied pattern consisting of a mixture of histiocytic and fibroblastic elements. It is thought that the two cells types arise from a common precursor or that the fibroblastic elements are derived from the histiocytes. These tumors are relatively common in humans. Here we report a case of spontaneously-occurring malignant fibrous histiocytoma in an adult bonnet macaque.