MYELOENCEPHALITIS ASSOCIATED WITH A VIRIDANS GROUP STREPTOCOCCUS IN ACOLONY OF JAPANESE MACAQUES (MACACA-FUSCATA)

Five weaned immature Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata), bred in capti vity, showed nervous signs over a 12-month period. Hemorrhagic cerebra l infarcts with vasculitis were detected in four necropsied animals. T he distribution and nature of the lesions were consistent with bacteri al embolism, and a Streptococcus isolate, biochemically similar to S, salivarius, was recovered from the cerebral lesions from three of the four necropsied macaques. Treatment with antibacterial agents (enroflo xacin) improved the clinical condition of the surviving affected anima l. These observations strongly suggest that this Streptococcus spp., m ember of the viridans group, is responsible for this outbreak. Dental pulpitis, present in two of the four macaques, probably served as the entry for this bacterium.