Salmonella osteomyelitis in a rhesus monkey

An adult male rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) developed clinical signs of severe osteomyelitis of the left femur 42 days after onset of enteritis. Salmonella sp. were cultured from feces, blood, and femoral lesions. Response to antibiotic therapy was poor, and the animal was euthanized. The left femur, with pathologic fracture and involucrum, and the right femur, tibia and fibula were most severely affected. Additionally hepatic microgranulomas, mild tubulointerstitial nephritis, medullary histiocytosis and erythrophagocytosis in the lymph nodes, and a mild colitis were diagnosed microscopically. The severity of the disease and serum electrophoresis findings were suggestive of lowered resistance to the organism, possibly due to anemia or polychlorinated biphenyl toxicosis.