Suspected dermatophilosis in an adult orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus)

An adult female Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus) had a pruritic, vesicular skin disease, particularly of the extremities, trunk, and face. Over a 2-yr course, symptoms resolved only transiently after corticosteroid treatment. Antibiotic treatment and withdrawal of all corticosteroids resulted in complete recovery of the animal and return to normal activity patterns. On the basis of the dermal histopathologic lesions, Dermatophilus congolensis was suspected as the causative organism, although subsequent cultivation was not attempted because of the stress additional procedures would have caused to the orangutan.