Invasive aspergillosis in a putty-nosed monkey (Cercopithecus nictitans) with adrenocortical Cushing's syndrome.

Background An 18-year-old captive female putty-nosed-monkey (Cercopithecus nictitans) with a history of long-term infertility and hyperglucocorticism was euthanized because of perforating thoracic trauma induced by group members and subsequent development of neurological signs. Methods Complete necropsy and histopathological examination of formalin-fixed tissue samples was carried out. Results The monkey showed invasive pulmonary and cerebral infection with Aspergillus fumigatus together with adrenocortical neoplasia and signs of Cushings syndrome, such as alopecia with atrophic skin changes, evidence for diabetes mellitus and marked immunosuppression. Conclusions Spontaneous endocrinopathies are rarely described in non-human primates. Here we report the first case of spontaneous adrenocortical hyperglucocorticism predisposing to systemic aspergillosis in a putty-nosed monkey.