A survey of pancreatic lesions in nonhuman primates

Approximately 3,000 microslides of hematoxylin and eosin (HE)-stained sections of pancreas from 1,000 nonhuman primates were reviewed. Sections were from 557 females and 443 males; 658 were adults of unknown age and 342 were laboratory-born animals of known age. The latter included 94 animals less than one year old, 92 from one to five years old, and 156 from five to more than 20 years old. There were 326 squirrel monkeys, 319 rhesus monkeys, 100 great apes, 123 other macaques, 61 other Old World monkeys, 39 other New World monkeys, and 32 prosimians. Pancreatic lesions of varied severity found in 187 (18.7%) of these nonhuman primates included focal parenchymal or periductal accumulations of mononuclear inflammatory cells with varied degrees of periductal fibrosis in 77; hyalinized islets (amyloidosis) in 29; acute or chronic diffuse pancreatitis in 18; chronic focal pancreatitis with or without ductal hyperplasia in ten; neoplasms in 11; hemorrhage of the parenchyma or islets in eight; parasites in seven; lymphoid or ectopic splenic nodules of the parenchyma in six; acinar ectasia in six; focal parenchymal fat in six; ectopic pancreas in four; parenchymal cysts without fibrosis in three; acinar cell atrophy in one; and cystic fibrosis-like changes in one.