Spontaneous Hepatobiliary Disease in a Breeding Colony of Aotus spp

Owl monkeys are nonhuman primate species in the genus Aotus. The Michale E. Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and Research maintains an Owl Monkey Breeding and Research Resource composed of four species of owl monkeys: Aotus nancymai, A. vociferans, A. azarae, and A. griseimembra. Disease of the hepatobiliary system has not been well characterized in Aotus.

Necropsy records from a 17-year period were reviewed to characterize the gross and microscopic lesions of liver disease.

316 adult owl monkeys were submitted for necropsy in the review period; 22 of 316 (6.96%) were diagnosed with hepatobiliary disease. Cardiac-associated hepatopathy was the most common diagnosis (6/22). Previously unreported conditions included cystic mucinous hyperplasia (1/22), acute cholangiohepatitis (1/22), idiopathic end-stage hepatopathy (1/22), cholangiocarcinoma (2/22), and acute cholecystitis (4/22). Vitamin E deficiency anemia (3/22) and hemosiderosis (4/22) have been reported in the genus, and these diagnoses were noted.

The spectrum of hepatobiliary pathology in owl monkeys is broader than previous reports have suggested.